


Thunderstruck

by MeAndMyGaster



Series: Thunderstruck [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Angsty moments, Domestic Violence, Fluffy Moments, Friends to Lovers, Other, Papyrus Has Issues, Papyrus Needs A Hug, Papyrus POV, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Slice of Life, Swearing, Tsundere Edge, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, ableist r slur used in the text (once), alcohol abuse (a little), all the inbetween, reader has no description, reader has no gender, slowest burn to slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2018-12-05 09:09:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 223,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11574930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeAndMyGaster/pseuds/MeAndMyGaster
Summary: Papyrus was once the Captain of the Royal Guard. In his world, that is. But this wasn't his world. No. The situation was simple for him – they were here, on the Surface, in another world, and there was no way back. No amount of anger, yelling, magic attacks thrown around or threats could change that. They were stuck here for good.Story written from Underfell Papyrus' point of view where he meets you in the middle of a thunderstorm... and you turn his world upside down.





	1. The Eye of the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> The Great and Terrible Papyrus is not so great and terrible right now. Damn you, Surface, and your abnormal weather conditions!

 

Papyrus was once the Captain of the Royal Guard. In his world, that is. Everybody feared him, no one dared to look him in the eye unless he demanded it in loud, rough voice. He was strong, strongest amongst all the monsters. He battled the ferocious Captain Undyne and won, which cost her one eye and dignity, and then he successfully took her place. He upheld the harsh law of Underground with an iron fist and answered only before the King. He even won a duel against Asgore himself, leaving him with a new, deep scar. He worked long and hard for his title and took pride in his skills, battle scars and his unwavering bravery. And then this happened.

Thunder rumbled above his head and shook his bones clad in soaked wet clothing.

He was on the Surface, the one with humans, the one every monster wanted to walk again. But this wasn't his world. No. He didn't understand the half of the magical mumbo-jumbo his brother and his cowardly counterpart tried to explain. The situation was simple for him – they were here, on the Surface, in another world, and there was no way back. No amount of anger, yelling, magic attacks thrown around or threats could change that. They were stuck here for good. At least that's what they told him.

Lightning cut through the sky, illuminating everything on the ground with pale blue light for a split second.

It took a while for him and his brother to get used to the new world. The world where everything went better than in theirs. A little, weak human came and after walking across all of the Underground, they just broke the Barrier and let the monsters free. There was no fear, no anger, no threat, no "kill or be killed" amongst the monsters. The problems began when they met humans on the Surface, but everybody was ready for that, his world or this one. They managed to resolve everything peacefully thanks to the little human who became their ambassador. And he needed to adjust. There were many things new to him and he couldn't solve most of his problems with angry glare and violence. It took him a full year for him to calm down and stop trying to attack anybody who looked at him wrong or said something annoying. It took another one to start using normal clothes and stop wearing armor on him all the time. He still locked his room at night and had a plan to kill anybody seconds after entering the room though. Old habits die hard, and when they're linked to survival, even harder.

Angry rumbling roared above his head yet again, making him curl tighter.

Another annoying thing he needed to get used to while living on the Surface was the weather. When in the Underground every part of the caves had their own stable climate, but here... everything was just plain crazy. There were warm months and cold months. There were also those hot as hell and ones so cold even he couldn't stay outside for too long. He could stand these wild changes if they didn't occur so abruptly, sometimes in a matter of mere days. And the worst thing about this insane weather were thunderstorms.

The lightnings appeared too fast for him to even react and he did have 'lightning reflexes' as his brother sometimes joked. The blinding light left him confused for only a short moment, but it was too long for him to feel safe when he wasn't acceptably aware of his surroundings during those split seconds. Then there was this awful rumbling noise as if the cave ceiling was collapsing on his head and it shook everything around him – walls and ground alike. There was no telling for him how long after the lightning struck there will be thunder, so the sound always took him by surprise. Every time there was a storm, he felt like he was going to die, because finally the sky will fall on him and crush his bones. And needles to say, it scared the living hell out of him.

Papyrus was once the Captain of the Royal Guard. But now he was just a whimpering mess cowering behind a dumpster in a back alley of Ebott City as if hiding there could help him against the storm. Water was pouring like mad from the sky, soaking him to the bone, making his clothes cling uncomfortably to his body. With each lightning he curled tighter in his pathetic, dirty shelter and with each thunder he let out an undignified yelp through gritted teeth. He was helpless as a baby, he was angry at himself for being so weak, he was scared like never before. Every storm made him feel that way, every next one made it worse.

He tried to use his phone yet again in vain hope that he could reach his brother and tell him where he is. Screw dignity. Screw the fact that his Sans would make fun of him for a week. Again. The big-boned jerk got sassier the longer they stayed here, and since there was no need to keep their boss-minion facade, he was relentless in jokes and taunting. Unfortunately, the little device died on him a while ago due to being soaked in his pants pocket, but he still clung to the vain hope that it would work even for a few minutes. His shaking fingers couldn't press the right button, but he still tried. Anything was better than being alone and vulnerable in a dirty alleyway in some filthy humans district. So far nobody found him... and Papyrus didn't know if it's good or bad. He still distrusted humans, after all this time. He couldn’t help it, he distrusted everybody. They couldn't help it either, because he wasn't the most pleasant company when he finally decided to go out. But now? Would it be that bad to be found by a human? He wouldn’t be so alone.

His breath hitched again when the lightning appeared in the sky and illuminated his 'safe corner'. A loud booming crack that followed made him cry out of fear and curl closer to the dumpster. His bones rattled on the metal, but he didn't even register it. When the deafening thunder passed, he remained motionless.

"Hey... you okay there?", he heard your cautious but worried voice. After a few long moments, he moved, stiffly turning his head and looking through his phalanges at the person who stood not so far from him in the rain. This was the first time he saw you.

You were soaked wet too, clothes hanging on your form. Your hair was clinging to your face, water dripping from your nose and eyelashes. In one hand you had a shopping bag with some stuff inside. You were leaning over him close enough for him to touch you if he wished. You were, unfortunately for him, a human. The universe had a sick sense of humor.

"Are you there, dude? Do you hear me? What's your name?", you asked slowly in a firm voice, waiting for his answer after each question. It took him a while to finally respond to the last one, his mind still clouded with fear.

" **N-No... I... I mean...** ", he had trouble collecting his thoughts. His own voice was uncharacteristically soft which threw him off guard for a moment. You waited patiently for him to say something more, so he did. " **E-Edge... they call me Edge, human.** "

Then something weird happened. You smiled at him and this smile reached your eyes, absolutely ignoring the fact that he called you 'human' like it was a slur. There wasn't any malice or pity in your expression. It was just a surprisingly warm and honest smile.

"That's a cool name.", you said cheerfully. "You need help there? Are you hurt? I heard yelling, so uh... came here to check what's going on." You took two steps closer, reaching out to him as if intending to touch his arm.

" **NO!** ", he growled at you harshly and furrowed his brows in anger. " **LEAVE ME ALONE!** ". There was no way he would let a human touch him. Especially in a situation like this, when he wasn't sure he'd be able to protect himself if attacked. He could manage by himself. He was the Great Papyrus after all.

You withdrew your hand hastily, looking a little surprised. You backed away with your hands in the air as if showing you mean him no harm. "Jeez... dude. Calm down. You don't want my help, noted. I'm leaving."

As if the weather was mocking him, a second before you shrugged and turned to leave there was another lightning and he felt panic rise in his chest. His eye sockets widened and he lunged in your direction to grab you by the calf just before the thunder rolled above you both menacingly. He wasn't the Great Papyrus. Not in this world. Not anymore.

"Whoa! Dude, what are y-", you startled and tried to free your leg from his grasp.

" **pleasedontleaveme** ", he squeaked with a trembling voice and tightened his hands clutching your leg. You couldn't move with him holding you for his dear life. He didn't even realize he was hurting you with that - when you were wincing, he had his eye sockets closed shut. He just dug his slender fingers into your leg in a quite aggressive attempt to stop you from walking away.

"Alright, alright! I'm not leaving!", he felt your hand pat him hastily on the shoulder. "But you have to let my leg go, okay? You wanna go somewhere indoors, right?"

His grip relaxed a little and he looked up. You were frowning at him, but your expression melted into worry when you met his frightened gaze. "You leave nearby, Edge?", you said in that same calm and slow voice like before.

" **N-no...** ", he admitted in a deflated tone.

"Is there anybody I can call to get you?", you ask again.

" **No... my ph-phone... d-died… I… don’t remember... th-the number...** ", he stuttered again, hating his stupid, scared voice.

"Alright. So we're gonna do this my way.", you leaned still keeping your hand on his stiff shoulder and this simple gesture was enough to keep him grounded for the time being. "You're gonna let my leg go. Then you will stand up and we're gonna go to my apartment to wait until the storm ends. I'm not leaving you here in the rain. I live really close, so it's just a short walk. How does that sound, Edge?", you say slowly, making longer pauses and waiting for him to nod along with the whole plan.

" **I... it's... yes...** ", he muttered finally under his breath.

"Great", you smile again and continue in a firm voice. "So for step one. Let. My leg. Go. Please."

He relaxed his hands slowly and you sighed in relief. There would be bruises in the shape of two hands on your flesh for certain. He still looked ready to latch onto you the second you try to leave without him or in case another lightning strikes. “Now step two.” You grabbed him under his arm to help him up and straightened yourself. When he stood up, he noticed he’s way taller than you, but you don't even hesitate and took his hand into yours.

"You okay? Do you need a moment?", you asked with a worried tone as he wobbled a little and you squeezed his hand.

He looked confused for a few seconds but then shook his head, not trusting his voice anymore. He still had trouble in wrapping his head around his current situation. A human was holding his hand as if it’s the most normal thing in the world and - what was more surprising to him - he didn't mind. Hell, he even wanted you to keep holding his hand. It felt warm, making him register that he’s freezing cold because of the soaked clothes. Something inside his soul screamed to attack, to yell, to at least put some distance between himself and his foe. But one quick look at the sky was enough for him to just go with it for the time being. There’s a bigger enemy today. His hand trembled slightly and his bones rattled loud enough for you to hear it. You made no comment about it though and he felt weirdly grateful for that.

"Let's go then. We don't need to get wet more than we did already.", with these words you started walking, pulling him by the hand with you. Stuff in your shopping bag rattled silently along with your evenly paced stride. Thankfully, the short journey to your loft was interrupted only once with loud thunder, because your hand wouldn't survive another tight squeeze from the frightened skeleton. He didn't know how strong he was compared to you and how close he was to crushing some of your bones. Ignoring the pain you stopped in front of the large metal door and handed him your bag, which should give him something to hold onto without the risk of injuring your hand further.

He held it feverishly and walked inside your apartment the moment you unlocked the door and made a gesture for him to do that. You locked the door right behind him and with a loud sigh took off your wet blouse. The skeleton stood really close to you, but you made no indication whether it's uncomfortable for you or not.

"Edge. That storm may last for a while. Maybe you should sit down?", you made a gesture towards the wide couch standing in the middle of the spacious living room. There’s water pooling on the floor where you were both standing.

" **No.** ", he said with his hoarse voice and made a nervous step closer to you.

"Fine...", you nodded slowly, eyeing him with caution. "How about we sit together?"

He nodded hesitantly, still keeping his eyes on you.

"Great. Take off your jacket. It's wet. I'll go get us some towels and...", before you even finished the sentence, a bony hand grabbed s you by the elbow, squeezing hard.

" **No!** ", he raised his voice in a demanding tone, his face scrunched in fear.

"O-okay... Edge. You're hurting me. I won't leave you, but you need to let me go.", you said calmly, hiding another wince with a patient smile.

A few seconds passed and he finally lowered his hand. Still standing really close to you, he looked at you expectantly. You held his gaze and nodded slowly. "Please, don't do that again. Let's go to the bathroom for towels then."

He made a gesture as if he was going to grab your arm again, but he restrained himself halfway. And you smiled at him, this time with a hint of gratitude. He followed you as you started walking towards the bathroom at the far corner of the loft.

He felt so so stupid, following you like a scared puppy this few steps to another room. He couldn't help it. There was a hint of reassurance in his soul when he stood close to you and your voice made him a little calmer. You could hear the squeak of wet leather when the tall skeleton finally removed his jacket and hung it on the chair you both pass on your way. He's so close he almost stepped on your heels, but again, you say nothing.

The bathroom was quite big, with no windows whatsoever. There was a little mess on the shelf next to the sink and some clothes lying in the corner next to the laundry basket. You opened one of the higher cupboards in search for towels.

You gave him the first towel you found. It was thick and fluffy and smelled like flowers, he noticed absentmindedly. It was also _very_ colorful. Yours was gray and much smaller, but he didn't notice you choosing the colorful one for him. You both stood silently in the bathroom for a while, just drying your heads and clothes as best as you can. The skeleton seemed to calm down a little, probably due to the fact that he couldn't see the lightning from here and he wasn't alone, human company or monster. Although he jumped and tried to grab you when another thunder rumbled from outside. You managed to catch his wrists this time before he gave you more bruises. You took a deep breath looking at him cautiously.

  
"Come on. I have an idea.", you said in a familiar tone. You let go of one of his wrists and pulled him behind you towards the living room. He walked behind you with not a word, a towel wrapped around his shoulders, filling his lack of nose with weird flowery scent.

"Sit down, Edge."

He obeyed you and lowered himself on the couch, his movements stiff and uncertain. He watched you warily in silence, ready to grab you if you try to walk away. You didn't. Instead, you picked up a pink blanket and wrapped it around him tightly and then reached under the cushions to pull out an old MP3-player and slightly bent headphones. You ignored the quizzical gaze the skeleton gave you as you pushed the buttons on the small device.

"I don't think this is the kind of music you listen to...", you eyed his ' _Bad to the Bone_ ' T-shirt that was barely visible from under the blanket and towel. Courtesy of his brother, of course. "... but it should do the trick. Come h-"

You weren't meant to finish that sentence. With both your hands busy with holding the headphones up, you couldn't stop the large skeleton monster from grabbing you again the moment another thunder boomed outside the window. This time he awkwardly hugged you into a bony, trembling embrace, cushioned a little by the blanket and the towel. You had your elbows up, so his arms squeezed only your ribs and your hands were still free.

You let out a slightly exasperated sigh. "This works too. Yeah." you spoke up when he relaxed his grip a little, noticing how tight his embrace was.

"I will put the headphones on your head now, Edge." you warned him. "Then you can turn the music up as loud as you need. You won't hear the storm, okay? You can close your e- uh... eyes too. If it helps. Does that sound alright to you?", you asked him, waiting for his permission. After a while, he nodded a few times and you poking your shoulder with his pointy chin.

The headphones ended up on his head and you tried to move away from him and unwrap his arms. Unfortunately, the tall skeleton misunderstood that gesture and ended up laying on the top of you, with his head on your chest. You squirmed a little in an effort to make yourself more comfortable with the 'edgy' weight and tapped his arm with the MP3 player, probably aware that he wouldn't hear what you'd say now.

He reacted after a while and pulled one hand from underneath your back to grab the device. The music got louder and the skeleton put his hand with the device next to your arm. He didn't understand what the singer was singing at all. It sounded like a foreign language to him, but at this moment he didn't really care. The music felt familiar, though he was pretty sure he had never heard something like that. The singer's voice was soothing and the drums in the background drowned the storm completely.

The warmth of the human beneath him relaxed him a little and he was beginning to notice how horribly tired he was. He felt smaller hands on his back, rubbing comforting circles on his shoulder blades and spine. He should be disgusted or angry or... something. He couldn't, he had no more strength to deal with this now. He didn't want to leave this safe embrace, though he knew he wasn't going to be happy about it when the storm calmed down. It didn't matter now. He left his dignity in the gutter when he started begging the human for help. He was going to try to restore it later. Yes.

He didn't even notice when the sleep claimed him.


	2. The Calm in the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this our edgy skeleton would have to punch a wall a few times to get his sense of dignity back.
> 
> Why are you like that!? How is it possible you infuriate him this way!? You're just a human, right?

He was so comfortable that he woke up only when you sneezed. The way your body suddenly moved because of that made him sit up as fast as possible and clench his fists in a defensive yet intimidating manner. The headphones fell on the floor with a clatter muffled halfway due to the thick carpet lying under the coffee table and the MP3-player followed shortly after.

“Damn it!”, you said and scrambled quickly up to see if the little device got damaged in the process. You ignored the angry glare that he gave you for waking him up like that. “Kay. It’s fine.”

“ **Why did you do th-?** ”, he tried to ask you, but the moment he did, you cover your mouth with your forearm and sneezed loudly again.

“Aw, shucks.”, you reached towards the table and produced a small pack of tissues from underneath some magazines and various papers. Your fingers fought for a while with the sticky fastener before you set one tissue free and pressed it to your nose.

“ **I asked-** ”, he attempted to talk again, but your nose had other plans. “ **What-** ” Sneeze. “ **I’m-** ” Sneeze. “ **WOULD YOU JUST-** ”. Sneeze.

He grit his teeth and decided to wait until you get tired or just stop doing whatever that was. A second later you finally got the chance to blow your nose properly. “Sorry… what were you saying…?”, you turned to him with a tissue still covering half of your face.

“ **I was asking you, human, what are you doing? What is this?** ”, he demanded in a rough voice and gestured at your tissue.

“Oh… That’s what happens when I sleep in wet clothes. Humans can get sick because of that, you know?”, you looked at him incredulously.

“ **Really? You are so weak then.** ”, he sneered at you and stood up. That’s when he noticed he was still wrapped in a colorful towel and awfully pink blanket. To regain his dignity he shook those down and pretended he didn’t even touch something that indecently fluffy. “ ** _I_ would never have gotten sick from something like _that_.** ”

“Well… lucky you.”, you shrugged and covered your nose again to sneeze. “Ugh… I gotta take a shower before it gets worse.”

That made him take a step back. “ **IT COULD GET WORSE?** ”, his voice got a little higher and much louder.

“Yeah. Cough, sweat, vomiting and all that _wonderful_ attractions.”, you smirked slightly and threw the crumpled up tissue into a trashcan. It somehow stayed on the top of the garbage that was almost overflowing to the floor.

“ **Then… Then take care of it this instant! You humans are disgusting!** ”, he waved at you and backed away one more step.

This was unthinkable that you were the reason they were trapped in the Underground. He almost felt ashamed for his ancestors. Despite his rude behavior, you still looked at him with a smile and this time you even let out an amused chuckle.

“You sound like it’s the first time you met a human.”, you said while walking towards some boxes standing in the corner of the living room and started digging through them.

“ **I don’t mingle with _your_ kind.** ”, he stated proudly and lift his chin up while still observing what were you doing. “ **And you humans are smart enough to avoid me and don’t make me stoop to your level.** ”

You threw some colorful clothes out of the box and onto the couch and knelt to search through some plastic bags filled with socks. One glance at this made him turn away and mumble something about common decency under his breath. For stars' sake, you shouldn’t keep _your socks_ like that.

“Oh yeah? That explains _sooooo much_... But then again… why were you in that alley? There aren’t any monster businesses around, you know? You got lost?”, your voice moved towards the couch and he dared to look at you.

Ignoring the socks you had in your hand, he snorted. “ **I don’t get lost.** ” He wasn’t going to explain to you that he was looking for a job there. Or something.

“Okaaay. Whatever you say.”, you mumbled and tried to put all the chosen clothes in your arms. He didn't even budge to help you when the wretched socks fell on the floor next to his foot.

“ **And what’s that supposed to mean, human?** ”, he squinted his eyes.

“Nothing.”, you swoop the socks and straightened yourself up to look him right in the eye. “Move, the bathroom is that way.”

“ **No. Go around the couch**.”, he quirked his bone brow and crossed his arms. With a smug smile, he watched how your expression changed due to his words. That frown of yours was funny to him until you suddenly smiled.

“Fine.”, you took a breath and sneezed at him. That made him jump back instantly and with a horrified shriek. He pressed his back to the wall and glared at you with his arms close to his chest. He didn’t know humans almost at all, so the fact that you were just pretending eluded him completely.

“ **WHAT ARE YOU-!? ARE YOU _INSANE_!?** ”, he bellowed angrily, but kept his distance, afraid you might do that again.

“Taking care of myself, Edge.”, you chuckled and scurried past him quickly. After a few seconds, he heard the bathroom door open and close.

“ **YOU’RE DISGUSTING!** ”, he yelled at you when he collected himself enough to do that. Your amused laughter echoing from the bathroom only made him scowl more.

He shuddered and looked down on his “ _Bad to the Bone_ ” shirt, looking for some human residue on it. Fortunately, he didn’t notice anything, but still felt an immense urge to change his clothes right now. The skeleton cast one more annoyed glance at the closed door. Humans were the scum of the Surface and if he was the King of all Monsters, there would be another war, only to get rid of you all.

Especially ones as disgusting and messy like you. When he wasn’t so… preoccupied… with the storm or with your awful behavior, he finally got the chance to look around your loft. The space in the living room was huge, though every spot on the floor was either covered with a rug and furniture or cluttered with boxes, bags, clothes, books, various smaller and bigger items, and wrappers or other garbage. He began to wonder if he was now more repulsed by your sickness or the condition of your apartment.

The skeleton considered sitting back on the couch and messing with the small device you used on him during the storm, but there were still some clothes there, along with a lonely sock stuck between the cushions. That made him change his mind and he chose to get his leather jacket off the chair. It was still slightly wet, but not dripping, so he put it on and felt his pockets in the search of his phone. He didn’t trust your clock - it was standing next to the wall as if waiting to be hanged on the nail near the ceiling - so he needed to check the time himself. His phone was still dead though.

With an impatient growl, he stuffed the device deep into his pocket and looked at the headphones again. However weak and utterly repulsive you were, your idea worked on him and made the storm bearable. With reluctance, he admitted to himself that you helped him. Successfully. But this had its disadvantages. You _saw_ him at his lowest and that was maybe why you weren’t intimidated by his appearance now. He needed to make you stay silent about this, because no one, except for his infuriating brother, knew he was terrified of the storms. He couldn’t have you blab about this to other humans, he needed to be scary, terrifying, dangerous. He was intimidating to everybody, monsters didn’t talk to him much and humans really avoided him. That made him feel safe in this strange world and he wanted to keep it that way.

He stomped towards the bathroom door and raised his hand clenched into a fist. He heard water running on the other side and you humming a familiar tune. His hesitation made him scowl again and he banged on the door a lot harder than he initially intended to.

“Holy-!”, you screamed. There was a sound of something falling into the shower tub after hitting every possible obstacle on its course and a loud clatter of something metal.

“ **HUMAN! WE NEED TO TALK. NOW!** ”, he called to you through the door.

“Cheezus fucking Christ on crackers! Edge! You almost gave me a heart attack!”, you yelled back.

“ **I DIDN’T ATTACK YOUR HEART, HUMAN. DON’T BE RIDICULOUS. I MERELY KNOCKED!** ”, he chided impatiently and grabbed the door handle to let himself in. The door didn’t budge. “ **YOU LOCKED THE DOOR!** ”

“Of course I did! I’m _naked_ in here! I’m taking a shower, for Christ’s sake!”

There was no sound of the water running anymore and the skeleton heard some shuffling behind the door. He knocked again, not that hard this time, but still with his fist.

“ **WE NEED TO TALK!** ”, he repeated himself, annoyed that he even needed to do that. Who did you think you were?

“When I’m _done_ , sure.”, you snapped at him from the other side and the water started running again.

He couldn’t stand this kind of insolence and slammed his open hand on the door. “ **NOW! YOU WILL NOT DISREGARD ME LIKE THAT, HUMAN!** ”

“Later! I won’t escape by flushing myself in the toilet! The drain is already slightly clogged, so I won’t fit either!”, you answered him with an audibly angry voice. “Go sneak around or sit on the couch or _whatever_. I’ll be out in ten minutes, geez...”

He was already going to knock once more, but you added quickly “Just don’t break anything!”, and your sharp tone made him stop before he did.

“ **FINE.** ”, he spat and walked away from the door, boiling with anger.

Stupid human and your stupid door. He looked at the cluttered mess on the floor in the living room and decided to take advantage of your annoyed invitation and let himself into the other rooms in your loft. The big, metal door in the far corner, next to the coat hanger and shoe stand were the front door, so he immediately lost interest. He didn’t plan on leaving before he gets a chance to bully you into keeping your foul mouth shut.

There were also sliding door behind a smaller stack of boxes, currently slightly open. It didn’t look like a kitchen - he was honestly terrified to look at your kitchen right now - so he made his way through the mess there. He kicked a box that tripped him halfway there and let out an exasperated sigh when he finally got to open the mysterious door wide.

He was somewhat surprised to see that there was no sign of mess in here. The room was quite big, with a desk sitting in the far corner, with a typewriter and a neat stack of paper next to it. An easel was standing near it. On the shelves, there were dirty color palettes, rolls of gray paper, jars with brushes, pencils and other art utensils he couldn’t even name. A few pink colored strings were stretched from wall to wall, with drawings and sketches clipped to them like a weird garland. When he turned to the right, he noticed small stool next to the table with carving tools and a pile of unused clay.

He didn’t know what made art amongst humans look good or something, so he had a hard time deciding if _you_ were anything good or not. But the sheer amount of drawings, paintings, small clay figurines, jewelry… everything really, made him freeze in the spot for a while. How one human can find time and motivation to do so many different things? He took a curious step inside the art studio of yours and looked on one of the shelves, his anger at you dissipating every next step and next thing he noticed you tried to make. He finally found himself at your desk and noticed a long paper nailed to the wall above the typewriter. After a fair amount of staring blankly at the letters, he decided he doesn’t have a clue what language it was. He did recognize some words (like “Ebott”), but everything else was pure gibberish to him.

“Found anything interesting?”, asked the voice from the door and that made him turn around quickly to face his opponent. It was just you.

You were fully clothed, with a towel wrapped around your head like a turban. Your arms were crossed on your chest and he could see some markings on your skin on both of your forearms. He remembered that humans called them ‘tattoos’. They were small, but his trained eyes noticed them easily enough.

“ **What is _this_?** ”, he pointed at the paper on the wall with his bony finger, ignoring your self-indulgent markings for the time being.

“A bucket list.”, you gave him a curt answer and begun drying your hair with the towel.

The skeleton turned towards the paper and frowned. “ **Why would you need a list of your buckets, human?** ”

Instead of answering him to his simple question, you began to laugh. It was a silent chuckle at first, but then you were almost bent over with laughter and needed to lean on the wall to stay upright.

He felt a magic flush making his way to his cheekbones. “ **STOP LAUGHING AT ME!** ”, he yelled at you and clenched his fists.

“You… you really… need to spend more time with… with humans…”, you were still howling with laughter. “Christ, I’ve never thought about it that way… ow… I’m in stitches…”

“ **I will not do that! Seeing how weak and crazy you are, I don’t want to catch anything from you!** ”, he sneered, but that didn’t seem to faze you in the slightest.

He considered grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you just to make you stop, but both other Papyrus and that cowardly imitation of his brother made it clear a while ago, that he couldn't assault humans like that for no reason. He had to patiently wait for you to calm down, though his patience was running thin from the moment you had rudely awaken him with your sickness.

“Oh… okay. Okay. That was something else...”, you breathed and pressed your hand to your stomach while walking towards the desk. The towel fell on the ground and was abandoned there. “A bucket list, my monster friend, is a list of things you want to do in your life before you die.”

“ **I am _not_ your friend, human!** ”, he spat immediately but then turned towards the list again. There was no harm in learning something about your kind’s weird ways. He was always up to gaining knowledge about his opponents and enemies and he wouldn’t change it now. “ **Why would you need such list? It’s stupid.** ”

“See… people often think ‘Oh, I would like to try bungee jumping someday.’ or ‘I’ll go to see a live shark in the ocean someday’, but then they never do, because they’re too busy or scared to try. Or they just forget they had that thought to begin with.”

“ **And this is your list of buckets?** ”, he eyed the paper with more interest, ignoring your amused snort. There were some items already crossed through. One of them had the “ _Ebott_ ” word. “ **What is this?** ”

You followed his finger and read one of the first items on your list. “Move to Ebott”.

“ **No it’s not. There’s no “move” here. What is this weird language?** ”, he huffed in frustration. How could you read this and he couldn’t?

“It’s in my native language, Edge. I’m not from around here. That’s why I wanted to move here and see the monsters.”, you explained and that’s when he noticed you indeed had a weird accent. He just thought that this was a human thing - not being able to pronounce words properly.

“ **Then what does this one mean?** ”, he pointed at another item, also already crossed out.

“Join a music band.”, you sigh. “Which reminds me I have to meet them in like half an hour, so…”

“ **So?** ”, he turned to you with a puzzled frown.

“So you gotta skedaddle because I have to leave and lock the door.”, you motioned at the living room and left the art studio. You at least remembered to pick the towel from the floor on your way, because he felt an urge to do that himself. “You wanted to talk, so do it quickly.”

“ **Indeed. I did. But you were avoiding me.** ”, he grumbled at your back and stopped in his tracks when you suddenly turned around.

“I was taking a shower. You know, humans do that, so we’re a little _less disgusting_ for a few hours.”, you pointed your finger at his chest.

“ **You’re mocking me.** ”, he noticed almost immediately.

“And how would you know? You don’t spend time with humans. Maybe that’s the way we _mate_?”

“ **W-WHAT?** ”, that caught him off guard and made his jaw hang open for a second.

“Relax, you edgelord.”, you snorted and wrapped your arms around you. “I’m listening.”

He slammed his teeth shut and grimaced slightly before trying to look as intimidating as it was possible. He used superior height to leer at you menacingly. His voice also got lower, more sinister. “ **You won’t tell anybody about the… way we met. Or anything concerning that stupid situation in the rain. Or…** ”

This somehow didn’t work on you at all. His glaring, growling. Was he supposed to pretend to hurt you? Or maybe he should make some display of his dangerous magic? Whatever the reason, you just didn’t budge. But this wasn’t bravery or even stupidity - you seemed fairly intelligent, for a human. You weren’t also trying to defy him. It was like you either didn’t see him as threatening or you just didn’t… care. He saw that clearly in your eyes and that was kind of unnerving for him. He knew that look but couldn’t put his finger on it right now.

“Or…?”, you encouraged him and raised your eyebrows.

He grit his teeth. “ **Or I will have to find you and kill you.** ”

You just nodded, as if he said something entirely else. “You know, a lot of people are scared of the storms.”

“ **I AM NOT SCARED!** ”, he hissed through his clenched teeth and poked you with his bony finger.

“Ow… That’s not nice.”, you swat his hand with your own, making him blink a few times to process what just happened. “Then ‘feel uncomfortable’ during the storms.”

“ **Mildly.** ”, he muttered and felt his hand with his fingers, still tingling from your touch. Did you just…?

“Mildly.”, you agreed. “There’s no need to threaten me to keep it between us, dude. Stop acting like an asshole. You just ask. It’s not like I’m gonna go out and yell that you’re scared of things.”

“ **I’m not scared of anything!** ”, he interrupted you, trying to compose himself. You were so frustrating! And the fact that he didn’t even know how to deal with you without making a mess and getting into trouble was annoying him more and more.

“Feeling mildly uncomfortable, then.”, you rolled your eyes. “You done?”

“ **Yes. I believe that is all, human.** ”

“You know I have a _name_ , right?”, you said in a slightly colder tone but turned away from him to go look for something in the boxes.

“ **I don’t care.** ”, he responded with a smirk. That should show you. Yes.

“Just saying. Every human has a name. It would make you less confused to start learning them right away.”, you said in a careless tone. “But you do you, dude.”

You pulled out a huge hoodie from the bottom of the biggest box and only shrugged when other boxes toppled towards the wall. He really needed to leave your apartment, because any second now he was going to start to stack the boxes the proper way. Thankfully, you grabbed a small bag, stuffed your phone into your pocket and looked ready to go.

“I’m leaving. That means you’re out too. Out. _Out_.”, you motioned impatiently at the metal door and he lifted his chin proudly to leave first. He didn’t turn around, already determined to let you watch his back when he walks away.

“See ya, Edge.”, you called after him, still fiddling with the keys to lock the door.

He didn’t bother to respond to that too, already reaching the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any idea for an item on the List of Buckets, let me know! I plan to make those things happen with our favourite edgy skeleton in tow (or because of him or thanks to him or because he wants to do that too).


	3. The Storm is Coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie! So many kudos and hits and even bookmarks (awww, lovely tags there, hun!) and there were only two chapters! You guys are awesome, thank you!
> 
> Introducing another skelly! One you might not know!

When he finally got home, it was way past noon. He lost his way numerous times, but didn’t even consider asking anybody for directions. He could manage well on his own and he did. However arriving at the front door after such a long walk made him very irritated. He turned the doorknob and entered the hallway as if he owned the place - he didn’t though. Sans and Papyrus, the Sans and the Papyrus, were the owners of this building. At least it was big enough to fit all four of them and the dirty mutt they called a pet.

He took off his shoes and set them neatly on the shoe rack. His feet were slightly sore from sleeping in his heavy boots all night and wearing them all the way across the city. He still refused to use those awfully crowded buses, so walking and riding his motorcycle were the only means of transport for him. His jacket was halfway off his shoulders when he heard loud steps behind him.

“EDGE! _THERE_ YOU ARE!”, Papyrus, the ‘real’ one, poked his head out of the door to the living room. “YOUR BROTHER WAS QUITE WORRIED ABOUT YOU. YOU MADE US WORRY TOO!”

He scowled at his words. He knew his brother (he would NOT call him that awful nickname they choose) would be worried about his disappearance, especially with the storm raging above their heads all evening and night. He also knew this disgustingly good-hearted Papyrus was honestly concerned for his well-being too. The part that made him grimace concerned his lazy, good for nothing, ever smiling brother, who looked like his Sans, but behaved more like a self righteous dick.

“ **I’m fine.** ”, he grumbled in response and entered the living room without even glancing at the tall skeleton. He often wondered if his fear of storms was known to him. “ **I was occupied with something.** ”

“I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU’RE UNHARMED, FRIEND. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP ME WITH COOKING? IT’S NOT SPAGHETTI, BUT I’M SURE YOU’LL LIKE IT IF YOU TRY IT.”, Papyrus asked with a hint of hope in his voice. He always asked him if he wanted to cook together. Edge always refused.

“ **No. I’m tired.** ”, he responded sharply and finally turned around to look at Papyrus.

The tall skeleton had his silly apron with “ _Kiss the Cool Cook_ ” embroidered in a neat cursive. His both hands were occupied with a large bowl where he was mixing something red and liquidy. Probably the sauce.

“OH. THEN YOU’D BETTER REST. THERE WILL BE PLENTY NEW RECIPES TO TRY.”, Papyrus still smiles at him, somehow unfazed by his rude behaviour and refusal. As always. “WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO BRING YOU YOUR PORTION TO YOUR ROOM WHEN I FINISH?”

“ **No.** ”, he growled and walked towards the stairs quickly.

“ALRIGHT!”, he cheered behind him. “REST PEACEFULLY, FRIEND!”

He clenched his fists while he was stomping up the stairs. It wasn’t as satisfying as doing this in his heavy boots, but he himself wouldn’t want to clean up all the mess this would make. The mere thought about that made his mind wander to your cluttered loft. He shuddered slightly and suddenly felt grateful that Papyrus shared his opinion on tidiness, not like his filthy, lazy…

“ **Hey, bro! You’re alive!** ”, a smaller skeleton with a golden tooth appeared right before him and grabbed him by his elbows. “ **Ya not hurt? What happened? _Where were ya?_ I was so fucking worrie-”**

“ **Unhand me.** ”, the taller skeleton hissed at him and took a step back to free his arms from the sweaty grasp. “ **I’m fine. Would you all stop treating me like that? I’m _not_ made from glass!** ”

Sans looked hurt with his behavior, but quickly shook his head and took a step towards him, with his hands still reaching in his direction. It looked to him like his brother wanted to embrace him, but he had enough of physical contact for today.

“ **No, bro. I wouldn’t. Ya were gone all night and there was…** ”, he suddenly lowered his voice. “ **... there was a storm. ‘m sorry I couldn’t reach ya, I tried callin’...** ”

He frowned slightly and looked away. He needed to lower his voice too. Not because of the topic he started, but because Papyrus might hear them arguing. The cheerful tall skeleton became really protective of his brother’s counterpart and Edge still remembered their last fight. He didn’t want to repeat this anytime soon.

“ **I was looking for a job, like your retarded clone suggested.** ”, he muttered. “ **And I _dealt_ with the storm myself. I’m not a babybones anymore, Sans.** ”

“ **Ya… ya did?** ”, there was disbelief in his voice for a moment, but then he added in a much softer tone. “ **Course ya did… being awesome like that. I knew ya will finally get over it.** ”

He scoffed in response and rubbed his hand on his forehead to hide his unhappy scowl. This stupid lie would work only till the next storm, but he really didn’t felt like explaining himself to Sans. There was a chance that he’ll let him rest now, being still more of a worried older brother than a shitty older brother.

“ **My phone is broken.** ”, he said finally and pat his chest to look for the device in his jacket’s pocket. Then he remembered he took said jacket off downstairs.

“ **I’ll get it. Ya look like _death_ , bro.**”, the smaller skeleton grinned at him, amused sparks reappearing in his eye sockets.

“ **Ugh. You do that.** ”, he responded quickly and went to his room before Sans came up with another smug comment or worse - a pun.

He closed the door behind him as quietly as possible and slumped on his bed with a deep, tired sigh. The mattress was really hard, but he usually liked it that way. It was easier to get up in the morning when your own bed wasn’t swallowing you with it’s softness. He tried to persuade his brother to do the same and change his, but his lazy ass wouldn’t even hear about it. This time however, when he ran his hand on the smooth surface of neatly made sheets, the bed seemed too cold and too hard for him.

He decided it was best to change his shirt (it still smelled like your towel) and get some rest anyways, before he goes back to looking for a job. The sorry excuse for Sans was right - he was boondoggling lately even more than him. All the skeletons had a steady job… except for Edge. He tried working before, he really did. But all of his employers were idiots who didn’t know how to do their job properly. Their employees were either walking all over them or leaving work after the trial period was over. For some reason, he got fired from every single job and soon there were no monster businesses in the monster districts that would even consider hiring him.

He really didn’t want to work with or for the humans… but he slowly began to realize, that soon he won’t have any other choice. The mere thought of that was making him sick. He was the Captain of the Royal Guard, for fucks sake. He wasn’t going to ask if “you want some disgusting fries with your greasy fucking burger” and just smile to a human.

He kicked his pillow to the floor and turned to his side, facing the wall. Despite his tiredness, he was still agitated after the storm and his encounter with you. Every time he thought about humans now, he saw you. An insolent, disgusting, lazy, weird human that somehow appeared on his path. He remembered the way you looked at him when he tried to bully you, but still couldn’t place the feeling. He knew that look, he was certain. This nagging feeling was more frustrating for him than your bizarre behavior.

Minutes passed agonizingly slowly and then turned into an hour. Finally, he got sick of tossing and turning on his bed. There was no way he could sleep now, not like this, not with irritation boiling within, not with another job hunting day that was looming over him. He sat up and rubbed both his hands on his face. This was ridiculous. He needed to calm down or he will be even more infuriated just because he was too angry to rest. There were few things that did the trick and sure as hell he wasn’t going to ask his brother for a bedtime story. These days were long gone.

Doing any cleaning at home was out of the question too - Papyrus insisted he did all the chores except for laundry, because they were his guests. They were already paying the rent, but to him, they were always guests. He suspected that the cheerful skeleton had his own system for everything and didn’t want anybody to mess with it. Edge respected that, because he would probably do the same.

With an exasperated sigh he stood up and opened the door. While walking down the stairs he pat down his pant’s pockets in search for the keys to his motorcycle and frowned, when he didn’t find them. He stopped in his tracks on the last step of stairs and checked his pockets again, even the rear ones.

With an angry scowl on his face he rushed quickly to the clothes hanger in the hallway. He must have left them in his jacket, he thought frantically. When he passed the living room a pleasant smell of food hit his nasal cavities, but he ignored a sudden sensation of hunger it invoked. After a nervous but thorough search he didn't find his keys in the jacket either.

“ **Fuck.** ”, he growled angrily and raised his voice. “ **SANS!** ”

He really hoped his brother just took them when he was taking care of his broken phone. He waited for a few seconds before calling again, quickly loosing his patience.

“ **SANS! MOVE YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN!** ”

He went back to the living room, already agitated. Sans must have them. He must. There’s no way he lost the keys near the dumpster… or worse, at your messy loft.

“ **Geez… what?** ”, a sleepy voice finally answered. The small skeleton with a golden tooth leaned on the balustrade and looked down at him.

“ **Did you take my keys?** ”, he snapped at his brother, but remembered to lower his voice. He wasn’t sure whether Papyrus was still home.

“ **Nope… Just your phone.** ”, he grumbled while rubbing his eye socket with his knuckles. He yawned and added, “ **What? Ya lost them or somethin’?** ”

“ _ **Fuck.**_ ”, he grabbed his jacket so violently it almost toppled the hanger. He put his shoes quickly on. “ **I’m going out.** ”

“ **Wait, bro! Your phone is-** ”, his voice was cut short when the front door slammed behind him.

 

* * *

 

He didn’t find his keys near the dumpster or anywhere near it, of course. He really preferred they were somewhere here, under the trash, old wrappers or disgusting leftovers. Walking all the way from the skeleton’s house to this place was unfruitful too. There was no sign of his possession and he began to consider going back and demanding from his brother to replace them. But… that would mean telling him the truth. He wouldn't have lost the keys to his precious motorcycle if there wasn't a darn good reason for it.

He grit his teeth. The only choice he had was facing you again and the anger boiling in him filled him with determination. It dissipated quickly when he stopped in front of the metal door to your loft. Why would he hesitate to get back what's his from you? You're just a weak human. And probably a thief!

He banged at the door with renowned irritation.

“ **HUMAN! OPEN UP!** ”, he yelled loudly, not sure how soundproof your door could be. There was a doorbell next to him, but he really needed to let his anger out and assaulting the metal barrier between him and your apartment seemed almost socially acceptable.

He had to repeat this a few times, getting more and more pissed at your tardiness, but you finally answered by opening the door.

“What?!”, you barked at him the second you laid your eyes on his irritated self. “Tone it down, you edgelord, half of the building will now think I have a crazy ex-boyfriend.”

“ **You took your time!** ”, he spat back at you but then realized what you said and shook his head. “ **Wait, what…?** ”

You roll your eyes and grab his wrist to pull him inside and quickly close the door behind him. “I hope miss Meyers didn’t see you. You make really dissonant first impressions.”

“ **I am _not_ your boyfriend!** ”, he managed to say, totally forgetting why he even came to your place to begin with. Your impertinence erased all his previous anger and filled him with stunned irritation. He withdrew sharply his hand to free it from your already slack grasp. “ **And wasn’t. I would have _never_ -**”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m a disgusting human. You're a cool and edgy magical skeleton. _Wooo._ ”, you waggle your paint stained fingers at him and walk hastily past the various boxes in your living room.

He wanted to say something, already scowling and ready to raise his voice, but you quickly disappeared in your art studio. He lowered his hand and clenched his fists tightly. He came here for one purpose and that’s what he was going to do, whether you like it or not. The faster he did that, the lesser was the chance he would murder you with his bare hands.

“ **Listen, you wretched piece of-** ”, he froze right past the door to the art studio.

There was naked a skeleton sitting in a chair in front of the easel. Their bones looked thin and brittle and ribs seemed oddly bent for his knowledge. They also didn’t have a right leg and their eye sockets looked lifeless and empty. Edge felt a shiver run down his spine and resisted the urge to take a defensive step back.

You were holding the weird skeleton’s wrists and neck and trying to manoeuvre it’s body to a steady position. When it’s skull lolled limply to the side, the alive skeleton suddenly felt really sick.

“ **Wh-what the hell is wrong with this one?** ”, he stammered and sharply turned to look at your face.

“Ah!”, you breathed happily at his question and pulled the skeleton up to make it lean on your shoulder. You swung one of it’s arms to wrap it around your neck as if you were just helping a drunk friend to stand upright.

“This…” You pat the skeleton's sternum affectionately. “... is Ed. Ed, meet my monster friend, Edge.”

It finally hit him - this wasn't a real skeleton. Or at least this wasn't a real _MAGIC_ skeleton. He saw humans use artificial or authentic bones and skeletons in the TV for… various purposes. When he realized that you weren’t that dangerous, a huge wave of relief flooded his soul, followed by sudden anger at you for scaring him like this. You were blatantly taking a piss out of him.

“ **You’re _insane_! What the fuck are you doing?!** ”, he yelled at you while gesturing at Ed (he most certainly DIDN’T name him like that in his head), his voice slightly higher than normal. “ **And I am _not_  your friend, human!**”

“Awww.”, you made a sad face and looked at the creepy thing wrapped around your neck. “But _you_ gave me this idea, Edgy McEdge. I needed a model to paint and decided to try and make a portrait of a skeleton. He doesn't have a leg, but he does a _magnificent_ work at staying still.” You cup the skeleton’s cheekbone with your free hand and coo in a softer tone “ _Yes you do~_ ”

Seeing you touch the artificial skeleton like that made him feel really uncomfortable. “ **Put aside this… this… _thing_!** ”, he demanded.

“You don't like Ed? He’s a dear, really polite and patient. You should give him a chance.”, you grabbed the prop by the elbow and tried to reach out towards the real skeleton with its hand.

Edge just backed away and crossed his arms on his chest. Tightly.

“ **It’s… it’s… I came here to retrieve my keys. Give them back.** ”, he regained his composure and glared at you, simultaneously trying to ignore the skeleton’s extended hand.

“What keys?”, you looked at him with a genuine surprise.

“ **My keys. To my motorcycle.** ”, he explained curtly.

You gasped suddenly. “You have a _motorcycle_? That’s so cool! I love motorcycles! What kind? What color? Is it black? I bet it is black, this color would suit you best.”

He hesitated after hearing this. Of course it was cool, that was his idea and his motorcycle. He liked being praised, no matter who was complimenting him. And you sounded so sincere while saying this, that it almost made him forget what he was here for. Again.

“ **Yes it is, but DON'T CHANGE THE SUB- _don’t do that_.** ”, his voice betrayed him when he saw you embrace the artificial skeleton and cover your cheek with its clattering hand.

“But you're yelling. Ed will protect me!”, you complained in dramatic tone. Your hand wandered to the skeleton’s back and you proceeded to stroke his vertebrae.

“ **Just… ugh.** ”, he couldn’t do that, not with you hugging a damn prop like that. He felt his cheekbones flush slightly and hid his face behind his bony palm. “ **You're _infuriating_! I will look for them myself!** ”

“Knock yourself out.”, you unwrapped yourself from the lifeless bony embrace and smiled at him “I’m going back to painting.”

And just like that, you went back to putting the awful excuse for a skeleton on the chair in the desired position. The magic one looked at you incredulously as you pat the small skull gently and walk back to stand in front of the easel. You tucked one brush behind your ear and grabbed a thicker one.

The skeleton considered saying something to you, anything really, but the only thing that was coming to his mind at the time being were insults. He already noticed that growling and yelling didn’t work on you that well and he needed a different approach. He still was the Great Papyrus and he wouldn’t be the Captain of the Royal Guard for so long without being adept in strategy and tactics.

He let you be, for now, and left the art studio to finally look for his lost keys. It was really difficult for him to search through all your mess without making it worse, but he made it a matter of honor to resist the urge to clean even a little. He avoided the socks bag like the plague, though he suspected you could have put his keys in there just to spite him. The longer he looked, the more irritated he was getting… again. His whole day was a circle of anger and tiredness. On top of that, he was getting really hungry.

He digged through almost every possible pile of your stuff, garbage and something in between. He even dared to move the socks bag with the toe of his boot to look if the keys weren’t somehow under it. His lost possession was nowhere to be seen and he already ran out of the ideas where could they be. Reluctantly he admitted that this time your mess was victorious.

With an exasperated sigh he ran his hand on his skull and walked back to the art studio. You were fully focused on painting some details with the smaller brush and probably didn’t even notice him come back. He observed you for a short while, thinking to himself what could make you give him back his keys. He didn’t have a proof that it was here that he lost them, but he couldn’t risk you throwing him out yet.

He decided to look at how is your creepy art going and maybe somehow start a conversation. It was a skeleton you were painting and who would be a better judge of your skills than a real one? He crossed his arms and walked casually towards you to stand right behind and leaned a little to check on your painting. It was… indescribable.

“ **It doesn’t look like him at all.** ”, he criticised after a while.

“Shhh.”, you turned to him for a short moment to put your finger against your lips. “You're disturbing his focus. And it’s called having an _original art style_ , you know?” You immediately went back to painting, not noticing a huge smudge of paint on your cheek and lips.

“ **And what art style is this?** ”, he felt almost curious.

He wasn’t totally ignorant about humans - he heard information about them, their culture and their anatomy here and there. He just didn’t feel like stooping so low to have an actual conversation with one or actively search anything about them at all. But here he was now, talking to you, judging your art and staring at the creepiest art model he could have ever imagined.

You hummed at his question and looked almost pensive. “Not-realism...? It’s not like I have been painting so long. It’s just a few weeks.”

He scoffed at your answer. Of course that was the case with you. Everything you did, even living in your messy apartment, seemed like you have been doing it for just a short time. He wouldn’t be surprised to hear you moved to Ebott a week ago.

“ **It looks awful.** ”, he decided and straightened himself.

“But it’s still fun.”, you answer him without hesitation and shrug. Another specks of paint found their way onto the canvas and it seems like you won’t continue this conversation anymore.

Edge decided to test your patience and just stand behind your shoulder, staring at you. He knew a lot of people, humans and monsters alike, didn’t like when he was looming over them for a longer periods of time. You were quite resilient though.

“You wanted something?”, you asked after about half an hour and he needed to hold back an impatient sigh.

“ **I _told_ you. I’m here for my keys.** ”, he repeated, really trying to keep his voice steady. “ **I can’t seem to find them in this awful mess of yours.** ”

Something you noticed on the canvas made you put your smaller brush between your teeth and quickly use the thicker one. “Mmmmmmyeah. So?”, you muttered with the tool in your mouth.

“ **So go _look_ for them.** ”, he demanded as calmly as he could.

You spat the brush onto your hand and went back to using it. “I don’t feel like it **.** ”

“ **Wh- your mess swallowed my belongings!** ”, the anger took over him again. He was almost certain you were doing this on purpose, but the only reason he saw for this kind of behavior was just trying to push his buttons. “ **It’s your responsibility to retrieve it and give it back!** ”

“My paint will dry up.”, you motioned with your chin at the color palette in your hand.

“ **Why are you being so _difficult_?! Give me back my keys and I’ll leave you alone!** ”, he lift his hands as if he was going to strangle you out of pure frustration, his face in a deep scowl.

“Maybe I like your loud and rude company?”, you turn to him and smile. And that simple smile suddenly made him feel weird. It looked the same like the one you gave him when he was hiding behind the dumpster. It wasn’t even ruined with the paint staining your skin.

“You’re kinda cute when you get angry. I didn’t know that skeletons could blush. Ed’s been sitting all naked for a few hours and I didn’t notice him do that.” With that said, you motion at the lifeless skeleton sitting on the chair.

“ **I-I’m not blushing, I don’t get flustered!** ”, he raised his voice again, feeling magic creeping to his cheekbones. “ **I’m _angry_! This is _anger_ on my face! That’s how my magic works!** ” He pointed angrily at his face to emphasize his words.

“Okay.”, you’re still smiling.

“ **And don’t compare me to that _pitiful_ imitation of a skeleton!** ”, he added, this time pointing at the creepy model.

“ _Rude_. Ed is an anatomy prop on the medical university. He has a respectful job.”, you pout at him, though he clearly sees that you don’t mean that.

Your words made him groan though and he covered his face with both of his hands. He can’t do that. Why would the universe punish him with you?

“ **… Go find them.** ”, he mumbled in a defeated but still demanding tone.

“And what’s in it for me?”

Despite your previous complains, you clearly put down the paints and stucked the brushes into the jar with dirty paint water. You grabbed a cloth that was hanging at the edge of the easel and begun to clean your hands. A weird chemical scent appeared in the air when you did that.

“ **You… you _want_ something for that?! That’s blackmailing!** ”, the skeleton wasn’t having it.

“No.”, you tossed the cloth next to the jar. Then you lean towards him with both your hands prepped on your hips “My mess kidnapped your keys, not me. My hands were occupied all the time, remember? I’m innocent.”

He took a step back and frowned at this mention of the last night. You were right and he hated it. You hadn’t been physically able to take anything from him then, he had been holding to you too tight and his weight had kept you pinned on the couch the whole time. Furthermore… this was your mess and probably only you could find anything in there.

“ ** _FINE_.** ”, he spat. “ **What do you want, human?** ”

“There’s a pile of paper on my desk. See that?”, a sudden glint in your eyes didn’t go unnoticed to him. He turned his head towards the desk and indeed saw what you described.

“ **Yes…? What of it?** ”, he asked cautiously.

“I will find your keys and you will read that and give me your feedback.”, you explained as he walked up slowly to the desk.

The pile of paper was quite big, but the font was fairly clear for him to read and fortunately it was in English. He touched the first page with his phalanges and furrowed his bone brows.

“ **It’s a lot of pages… you wrote that?** ”, he turned his head to look at you.

“I tried writing, yeah. One page per day. It’s totally different to do that with the typewriter but it was on my bucket list.”, you pointed at the long list of unreadable gibberish nailed to the wall.

“ **And you want me to read your garbage?** ”, he scoffed.

“Yeah. And give feedback.”, you shrug and stuff your hands into your pockets. “You're rude enough not to sugarcoat it.”

Your line of thought seemed reasonable. He wasn’t a person to lie about something when it was just plain stupid or awful to him, just like with the painting. And the task didn’t seem as tedious as he initially feared. “ **… Deal.** ”

You nodded at this and picked up a dirty sheet from the floor to cover the anatomy prop with it.

“Okay, Ed.”, you were talking to that skeleton again. “I will leave you for a moment to help my monster friend. Relax, drink a coffee, take off your shoe.”

“ **I AM _NOT_ YOUR FRIEND!** ”

 

* * *

 

 

You found his keys in ten seconds.

At first you walked around the apartment and looked under the bigger table, but then went straight for the couch. Explaining to him, that your furniture was somehow sentient and swallowed some of your belongings, you stuffed your hand between the cushions and there they were - jingling in your hand a moment later.

Willy-nilly he went back to the art studio and grabbed your manuscript. He was a skeleton of his word and he intended to do what your weird deal said. He was almost certain you had your suspicions where the keys might be from the moment he told you that he’d lost them. But again... he had no proof. You’ve played him this time and he reluctantly accepted his defeat.

He decided not to read your excuse for a book on his way home. He really wanted to be over with this as soon as possible, because that meant he’ll be finally free of you, but the deal would be void if he lost any page in the wind that was mercilessly blowing today. With the pile of paper stuck under his jacket he got home and took his boots off. Again.

He was really tired, even too tired to be angry anymore. The upside was that he probably would fall asleep really fast now, especially with the whole day almost being over. When he hung his jacket and turned around to walk towards the stairs, a short form appeared right in front of him.

“sup, edge. whaddya got there?”, blue clad skeleton asked curiously and cocked his head to the left to look at the first page clearly visible in his grasp.

“ **Not your business, bag of bones.** ”, he grumbled tiredly, not feeling like getting into a banter with the ‘real’ Sans.

“ouch.”, he chuckled, but seeing that the taller skeleton just went past him made him frown. “you okay, buddy?”

“ **Just leave me alone today…** ”, he sighed and reached the stairs.

“that bad?”, his voice suddenly rang from the top of the stairs and Edge felt really envious of his magic ability.

“ **What…?** ”, he squinted his eyes.

“job hunt. is it _that_ bad now?”, the smiley trashbag asked with an almost concerned tone. “i see you got some papers, so it wasn’t this horrible, right?”

“ **It’s…** ”, he shook his head and proceeded to his room. “ **... nothing. Something different.** ”

“kay… if you need help you know where to find me.”, he assured, though Edge knew he knew he would never ask him for help.

“ **Yes. I know.** ” After muttering those words, he closed the door to his room and tossed the manuscript on the bed.

The paper scattered on the sheets and he grimaced at that. He didn’t feel like sleeping now, despite his tiredness. He could just start with the reading now, maybe your writing was so dull it’ll lull him to sleep. He grabbed a red marker and sat on the bed cross legged. He might as well do it properly.

He was out after the fifth page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The List of Buckets gets bigger and bigger! I'm amazed by your ideas, guys. Half of those things are something I would like to try myself. Really! I must think of a way to post it here, so everybody might see what ideas already appeared.
> 
> Cheers!


	4. Weathering the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw! There's so much kudos there, guuuuuyyyyssss. That's so sweet, thank you!
> 
>  
> 
> Edgy von Edgelord gets a job!

“ **what ya got there, bro?** ”, his brother’s annoying voice rang without warning right next to his head, right where his ears could have been if he was human. Or some more human shaped monster.

Edge flinched and swatted his hand at him quickly, but Sans dodged that with an amused chuckle. This new habit of his - appearing behind the taller skeleton to prank him with whatever - was becoming more and more irritating. Much to his dismay and utter annoyance, he couldn’t do much about that without getting into the fight and drawing Papyrus’ attention.

“ ** _Stop_ doing that!** ”, he hissed at him angrily and tried to straighten the page of your story he unwittingly crumpled in his hand.

He was sitting for a few hours straight and reading your insufferable garbage that proved to be… less insufferable with every page. The lines of text typed on the typewriter were already marked with a red pen here and there, but the longer he was reading, the less he was focused on correcting your mistakes and was more drawn into your ideas. You were awful with grammar and spelling, really. But there was something incredibly alluring in the way your ideas entwined and created one hell of a main plot.

“ **Ok.** ”, Sans responded with a shit-eating grin he knew his short tempered brother hated. After reappearing next to the couch, he leaned over the armrest. “ **So? What's that stuff?** ”

“ **Just a thing I have to do.** ”, the tall skeleton grumbled at him curtly and adjusted his glasses before they slid down from his nasal bone.

“ **Huh. A job?** ”, the skeleton with a golden tooth cocked his head curiously before leaning to reach towards the pile of paper and grab one page.

“ **I wouldn’t call it like that.** ”, Edge huffed with irritation and looked at Sans with the corner of his eye socket, deciding that reacting now would be more suspicious than he already was behaving.

 **“...** _and the Mermaid Queen leaned back in the shallow pond with a surprised gasp_ **… what is _this_ shit?** ”, Sans’ expression turned from curious to flabbergasted.

Edge reached towards him and grabbed the corner of the page in question to rip it out of his brother’s skeletal hand. He put it back on the neat pile of ‘done’ pages next to his knee.

“ **Don't judge book by its cover.** ”, he responded philosophically and almost immediately regretted it. His brother, on the other hand, smiled widely at this.

“ **But there's no cover here...** ”, he said in that annoying voice that announced incoming puns. “ **I didn’t know you had such _versed_ pals though. That’s a real _novel_ for me. But there’s no _tome_ like the present to learn something new about my lil bro.** ”

“ **Ugh… stop that nonsense.** ”, he barked at him and pretended to go back to his task.

“ **No, _seriously_ , bro. What is this? You don’t read shit like that.**”

“ **I made a deal.** ”, he admitted reluctantly without looking at his brother.

“ **A deal? With who?** ”, he heard a hint of concern in Sans’ voice.

“ **Mind your own business, lazybones.** ”, he rolled his eyelights and continued shuffling through pages. “ **Let me focus, I want it to be over.** ”

“ **Ya need help with that?** ”

“ **No.** ”, he spat. “ **I need _you_ to get your annoying ass _away_ from me so I can _finish reading that garbage_.** ”

“ **Ok.** ”, he shrugged. “ **I’m _booked_ anyways. I’ll be in my room if ya need me, heh.** ”, he winked at him and disappeared before Edge got the chance to answer.

He sighed and tried to get back to reading. Your story was almost over, so there wasn't much more of the main plot there, but he was curious to see how you wrapped everything up at the end. He couldn’t focus now, though. His brother, his lazy good for nothing Sans, already had a regular job for a longer time. A one that paid decently and the employer was a monster, so Edge wasn’t worried about his safety that much. Additionally, he noticed that the small obnoxious skeleton was well liked by his co-workers and spent more and more time socializing with other people. Sometimes even humans. Thinking about that made him feel somewhat expendable and… lonely.

He shook his head and scoffed angrily at his own thoughts. He wasn’t lonely, he chose to keep his distance from everybody and got exactly what he wanted - people left him alone. He was also glad his brother was doing well in this world and didn't need to be babysitted like he used to. He was an older brother, so it was about time he finally behaved like an adult. That gave Edge a decent amount of free time to focus on his own (currently nonexistent) career.

But first… he needed to free himself from you. He pushed the glasses back up his nasal bone and forced himself to focus again on your stupid story. After an hour or so of reading, scoffing, frowning and marking your mistakes with the aggressively red pen, he was finally done.

He stuffed your story under his leather jacket and decided he will walk to your apartment again, leaving his keys to the motorcycle at home - just in case. He had a new phone with him, so if there was any need, he could call Sans or even Papyrus.

The walk was uneventful, if one does not count the various humans and monsters getting the hell out of his way when they noticed him stomping aggressively his way through the city. He wasn’t angry, not this time. He was calm and almost satisfied with his work and fulfilling his end of the deal. He just preferred that people stayed away from him unless he wanted it to be otherwise. This and it’s not like he could do anything about an angry scowl that was always present on his face.

When he arrived at your apartment, it was already getting dark. He overestimated his own ability to take care of reading your nonsense in a timely fashion and it dawned on him he had wasted another day because of you. That wasn’t enough to irritate him today though, so he used the doorbell like a normal person would. It was there for a purpose and something deep inside him made him use the device accordingly.

While waiting for you to open the door he noticed there were a few dents in the metal door. With a smirk he figured that they were probably caused by his aggressive knocking from the previous day. Slightly ruining your front door was a very small and petty victory, but a victory nonetheless.

“Yeah, what do you- Whoa!”, you took one step back when you finally answered the door and your eyes met his gaze. “Who the hell are you and what you did to my monster friend? Edgy von Edgelord doesn't use the bell.”

Your voice was dripping with fake surprise and you were smiling. Again.

“ **I am _not_ your friend.** ”, he hissed almost immediately and barged inside your apartment without waiting for you to invite him in.

“Really? It’s the third time you visit me in a really short time, you know?”, you closed the door behind you and followed him to the living room. Your amused voice made him scowl.

“ **It’s due to unfortunate and bizarre set of circumstances that I have to stand your intolerable company this long. Nothing else.** ”, he grumbled trying to stay calm. It was almost over. Just a mere hour and he would be free.

You manoeuvred swiftly around some boxes, which most definitely changed their position since he was last here, and plopped on the couch with a happy sigh. There was no socks in the near proximity of the empty seat beside you, but Edge decided not to risk it and stopped right next to the couch. He hoped he could quickly tell you what he wanted and just leave to never ever come back. Ignoring your inviting gesture to sit down, he pulled out your story from under his jacket only to throw it roughly on your lap.

“ **There. I read it. You should work on your English, your grammar is _awful_.** ”, he spat and crossed his arms. “ **I marked _every_ stupid mistake you’ve made.** ”

Your eyes widened quite visibly when you looked at the red marked pages. You started to sift through pages and your expression shifted into even bigger surprise with every next one you laid your eyes on. While you were busy with that, he had a chance to eye you more carefully this time. He noticed from his spot there were weird stains on your calf that looked a lot like a handprint with long fingers he previously thought were from paint. Standing now closer to you, he remembered how fragile human flesh was and clenched his fists involuntarily. He did that. This memory was a haze, but he was sure the bruise was made with his own hand. It was far too late to apologize now, but somehow he was sure you won’t sue him for that. Hopefully.

“Oh, wow. You’ve _really_ read it.”, you gasped in astonishment that was way too ridiculous for him.

“ **Of course.** ”, the skeleton frowned. “ **That was the deal, right?** ”

“I just thought you will duck out. Or just give it back and _lie_ you did what we agreed on.”, you turn to him with the same surprised expression.

“ **Don't insult me, human!** ”, he growled at you and unwrapped his arms only to clench his fists menacingly while leaning over you. “ **Now, you _want_ to hear that fucking feedback or correcting your _brainless_ mistakes is enough to satisfy your stupid deal?!** ”

“Holy shit…”, you tilted your head up so you could look at him and there it was again - that weirdly warm smile. He still didn’t understand why were you grinning like that every time he said something that wasn’t supposed to invoke a reaction like this.

“ **What? Why are you smiling? What did I say?** ”, he straightened himself with a puzzled frown.

“Nothing, nothing. I’d love to hear your feedback. But!”, you raised your index finger and got up from the couch after bouncing on it a few times. “I will make tea. Want some?”

Edge groaned at this. “ **Just let’s get over with that already! I don’t need your fucking tea for that.** ”

You ignored him, of course, and while sliding on the floor in your mismatched socks, you walked towards one of the door he still didn’t have a chance to investigate. He followed you to your kitchen, grumbling colorful curses under his breath. Seeing the mess in there was enough for his voice to die in his throat instantly.

If the state of your living room was any indication of how messy you could be, the kitchen made him reconsider his previous opinion drastically. For him, kitchen was a first place where there should be nothing but cleanliness and order… and your kitchen was an epitome of pure and unrestrained chaos.

First of all, there were things that shouldn’t even be in the near proximity of food. Like your fucking socks and underwear in a cardboard box standing next to the fridge (to his utter disgust, there was a “books” tag stuck to the said box). Or a stack of art supplies in a foil bag. Other things that should be there, like boxes, cans and containers with produce, were disorderly sprawled on the worktops. The cupboards were open, the cutlery holders were out of the drawers, which were open too. The stove was covered in cleaning supplies that should have been shelved a long time ago and the plates were lying on the floor in uneven stacks. At least the fridge looked clean and its door were closed, but he was both morbidly curious and wholly terrified of what he could find there.

He needed a while to collect himself after seeing this utterly disturbing image.

“ **You’re more disgusting than I previously thought.** ”, he growled. “ **Why do you live in such a mess it’s _beyond_ me.** ”

“I didn’t have time to unpack after moving.” you explained while quickly picking what you needed amongst the mess. You somehow knew exactly where all things were, which was kind of amazing with all the mess around. “But it’s not that bad. I throw out the trash every second day and wash the dishes daily. It’s just disorderly.”

“ **And how long do you plan on living in... _this_?** ”, he gestured at the battlefield where all the reason and order lost miserably with the force of nature named… your name. He still didn’t know your name.

“I dunno. It’s not bothering me that much. I’m often out anyways and I spend most of my day in the art room whenever I’m back.”, you shrugged and filled the kettle with water before clearing the stove with one swipe of your free arm.

He cringed when some of the boxes fell on the ground in the process. “ **Every time I come here you're home.** ”, he noticed in a flat tone.

“Guess that’s just your luck.”, you giggled and looked at him with that damn weird smile. “Sugar?”

“ **Wha-?** ”, he frowned and looked at the worktop where you set two cups. **“No. I said I don’t want your fucking tea. Not when you prepare it here. It’s not a kitchen, it’s a dump.** ”

You roll your eyes and pour a lot of sugar to one of the cups. “If it bothers you so much why don’t you clean it yourself?”

“ **Pshhhh. It’s _your_ house, not mine.** ”, the skeleton scoffed at you and crossed his arms while leaning on the door frame. He still didn’t muster the courage to enter the nightmare kitchen. “ **You would have to _pay_ me for that, human.** ”

You suddenly stopped what were you doing and whipped your head towards him.

“Okay. How much?”, you ask suddenly.

“ **What...?** ”

“How much would you want me to pay you for cleaning services? You charge by hour or for the whole apartment?” When you say those words, there is no glint of amusement in your eyes.

“ **... what?** ”, he had to ask again, still thinking his mind is playing tricks on him. It’s from the mess here, it interferes with his magic. It must be.

“Seriously, dude. You said that yourself a second ago.”, you put your hands on your hips.

He felt a sudden surge of anger flooding his soul. He was pretty sure the magic reached his eyes for a moment, but you didn’t even flinch. “ **I-I… WHAT?! YOU INSOLENT HUMAN! I AM NOT YOUR FUCKING SERVANT TO DO SUCH THING!** ”

“Not up to a challenge or what?”, you smirked at him and went back to preparing tea. “It’s just a job. It’s not like I will be really ordering you around or something.”

He wanted to shout at you more. Hell, he really wanted to grab you and throw you across your mess - it’s not like it could get any worse here. He wanted a lot of things, but there was one word that rang in his mind really loud and made him stop before he saw red. Job. Somehow you ended up offering him a job.

Edge stood in a menacing pose two steps into the kitchen from hell and watched your back with gritted teeth. There was no use in throwing a tantrum now - he learned you always stop giving a shit about what he’s saying when he starts yelling at you - and hurting you in any way would be really difficult to undo later.

“ **... how much?** ”, he seethed, trying his best to calm down.

You gave him a quick look over the shoulder, smiling again. “How should I know? I never looked for cleaning services. Do you even know how to clean?”

“ **OF COURSE I DO!** ” You were really pushing his buttons today. “ **What kind of _stupid_ question is that!?** ”

“Alright…”, you let out a sigh and grabbed the cups from the worktop. “Let’s make another deal.” You continue talking when you go right past him, walking back to the living room. “We both don’t know how this works, but you want the money and I could use a little more... space here. You do some cleaning first and when you’re done, I pay you what we agree on based on the time you spent on this. What do you say?”

He watches you closely as you sit on the couch again and put the cups on the messy coffee table. It’s surprising that you even found any free space for that, but there it is. He followed you reluctantly, feeling in his bones he will regret even considering this deal.

“ **And what stops you from not paying me when the job is done?** ”, he asks after a while of pensive silence.

You frown at this, as if the mere thought of backing on a deal was offensive to you. “Well… you know where I live so you can trash the place back to the way it was?”

He raised his bone brow at this idea.

“Or worse.”, you add with a smile.

“ ** _I_ say when it’s done, not you.** ”, he took a few steps towards you while growling this words.

“Sure.”

He points at you with his bony finger. “ **You _don't_ interrupt me or even _dare_ to give me orders**.”

“Kay~.”, your smile got wider and you crossed your legs while sitting more comfortably next to the pile of paper you left there before.

“ **And you…** ”, he hesitated and finished in a low voice. “ **... you will remove or hide all your socks. I’m not touching them.** ”

Your face shifted into an amused and curious smirk. He knew what was coming, so he had an answer ready before you were able to finish the inappropriate question.

“What’s with the monsters and so-”

“ **I will not stoop to your level to explain that! Ask one of your monster friends!** ”, he growled quickly.

“Buuuuut... you're my monster friend.”, you whined and dramatically leaned on the backrest of the couch.

“ **I AM _NOT_ YOUR FRIEND!** ”

That only made you chuckle. “Any other conditions to our deal, Edge?”

“ **You tell anybody about that…** ”, he began in threatening voice, but this time it was your turn to interrupt him.

“Yeah yeah... You kill me. Spooky _scary_ skeleton. I told you before there's no need for that shit, dude. Nobody would even believe me if I told them a real life Ghost Rider is cleaning at my place.”

You leaned towards the coffee table to grab one of the cups and blowed at the hot beverage a few times. He still was feeling really weird every time you were absolutely unfazed by any of his threats and yelling. Additionally, you said something that was utterly incomprehensible for him. You were again too much for him.

“ **What... did you call me?** ”, he stuttered.

“You should really check more stuff about humans. We have some cool skeleton characters in comics and movies.”, you smile at him and add quickly upon seeing his incredulous expression. “If you don't believe me, see for yourself. Internet is full of them.”

The skeleton shook his head and huffed angrily. He would not allow you to derail the topic again. He hoped to sever any obsolete ties he had to you after this evening, because you were both annoying and a disgusting human, but now the situation had changed. He really needed a job, any job for starters. Cleaning your awfully cluttered apartment wouldn’t be anything long-term, but it was a start. And there was also the fact that… he already knew you and you were the only person so far who even offered him a way to earn anything. The only issue he saw was that you were a human, so...

“ **Whatever. I’m not interested in that shit.** ”, he walked towards you and with a sigh he stuffed his hands in his pant’s pockets. “ **Let’s make that deal.** ”

With a wide smile you put down your tea before standing straight up and facing him. You reached out to him and waited for his move. Reluctantly he grabbed your hand to shake it in an agreement. Your flesh was so soft and warm that it was a little startling to him. At first he remembered the marks he made on your calf and he thought he grabbed you too hard and your bones gave in under his strength, but then he understood that’s how squishy you were. He knew human bodies were like that, but it’s totally different to know that from actually having a chance to properly feel it. Especially when this time his mind wasn’t preoccupied with something else - like fighting or the storm - and he could focus on the sensation in peace.

“Edge, you’re still holding my hand.”, you commented with an amused grin and that made him flinch away from you and take a step back.

“ **You’re disgustingly squishy.** ”, he spat at you defensively and quickly wiped his hand on his pants. His gaze wandered towards your hands though, the sensation of your touch still lingering on his bones.

“And you’re delightfully bony.”, you smiled widely at him.“Alright, Edgy von Doom. _About_ that feedback…”, you sat back and took the papers containing your story in your hands.

He finally unglued his gaze from your soft hands and when the meaning of your words hit him, he groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The List of Buckets is still open, so feel free to add something of your own! 
> 
> Cheers!


	5. A Storm in a Teacup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite edgelord fights a three day long battle and ultimately loses the war. Again.
> 
> How dare you.
> 
> (Thank you for all the kudos and comments and bookmarks and subs! You are wonderful!)

 

Edge tried really hard not to crush his new phone with his fist when he heard another fart noise coming from its speakers. He knew trusting Sans with obtaining and setting the device for him had its dangers, but today he didn’t have patience for his immature pranks. After another message notification, he grabbed his phone with an annoyed growl and looked at its screen.

 **The Human:** Hey Lord Edgeshire  
**The Human:** Still up for work today?  
**The Human:** Hid all the socks  
**The Human:** As promised  
**The Human:** Need to go at 9  
**The Human:** Imma give you my spare key

He already began to regret the fact he exchanged the phone numbers with you those few days ago. There was a small hope you would keep the communication with him to the bare minimum. Unfortunately you proved him wrong yet again, sending lots of short texts during this time, not discouraged by his curt and rude answers in the slightest. At least you didn’t dare to call him, though every time he read a message from you, he heard your irritating voice ringing in his head.

 **Edge Lord:** FINE.

He hit send with an annoyed scowl plastered to his face and tossed the phone on the table again. Trying to go back to peaceful breakfast was hard now, but he wasn’t going to leave the house before filling his stomach. If he was going to face your overwhelming chaos, he needed all the energy he could gather. After stabbing his scrambled eggs with his fork a few times, he let out an exasperated sigh and resumed his meal. There was that farting notification sound again, but he decided to ignore it and focus on Papyrus who was with him in the kitchen.

The tall skeleton ate his breakfast way before him and was now in the middle of washing the dishes. Edge bore with his eyes at the back of his long time host and mulled over one idea before sticking another forkful of eggs between his teeth. Papyrus was a social butterfly and had lots of human friends on the Surface. And as the only skeleton in this household, he didn’t even think about using Edge’s questions against him in jokes or witty remarks. There would be no harm in picking his mind a little, especially when he was sure that the cheerful skeleton already noticed something was off today.

 **“Papyrus…?”** , he began and resisted the urge to cringe. He really hated using his own name like that, but the current circumstances meant there was no other way. He heard that it was common for humans to have the same names and they worked just fine, so he shouldn’t complain.

“YES?”, there was a hint of surprise and hope in the tall skeleton’s voice when he looked over his shoulder at him without interrupting his chores.

He huffed before continuing. “ **You spend a lot of time with humans.** ”

“OH YES, I MOST CERTAINLY DO!”, he put away the wet dish on the drying rack and turned to him with a smile. “IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THEM?”

Damn him and his perception. Papyrus probably already knew what was going on, even without any information from the more aggressive skeleton. Edge was sharp, but this one’s mind was a little terrifying when it came to picking up the smallest clues and merging them into really accurate conclusions.

“ **Yes…** ”, despite his previous plan, Edge hesitated. The question in his mind sounded stupid for him now, but he was at loss when it came to you and your human customs. “ **... are they all this bizarre?** ”

With a thoughtful expression, Papyrus took off his rubber gloves and laid them down on the worktop next to him. Edge was glad this skeleton treated his ignorant questions with some kind of respect, or at least he gave off this sort of impression. After a longer while of silence, he finally spoke.

“THEY ARE WEIRD, THAT’S TRUE.”, he said with his phalanges tapping on his chin. “YOU MUST REMEMBER THAT THEIR WORLD IS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN OURS. WITH THIS IN MIND, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THEY AREN’T THAT DIFFERENT FROM US, REALLY. THEY ALL HAVE HOPES AND DREAMS AND FEARS AND WEAKNESSES, JUST LIKE WE DO.”

Edge clenched his fists a few times, mulling over what he just heard with a frown on his face again. He did know all that, he wasn’t stupid. But maybe he was approaching humans the wrong way, forgetting how big and complex their civilization was. Billions of people, hundreds of languages, thousands of smaller cultures all clashing and mixing up. With monsters it was much more simple, though different kind of monsters had different customs, there weren’t too many of them. Would his kind be this complicated if they weren’t sealed off in the Underground for so long?

“IS IT ABOUT YOUR JOB, EDGE?”, the loud voice snapped him out of his musing. When he looked up, he met Papyrus’ worried gaze.

“ **In a way.** ”, he gave a vague answer and got back to finishing his breakfast. It was already cold, but he would never waste food because of something like that.

“I’M SURE EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE. JUST GIVE THEM A CHANCE.”, the cheerful tone added his two cents before Papyrus also went back to his own tasks.

He only scoffed at this, knowing perfectly well that giving you a chance was something absolutely out of question. You were just paying him for doing his job, nothing else. He wasn’t going to suddenly be friends with you after that. No way. He almost bent his fork when he heard another farting message notification. He really needed to find out how to turn that off before lashing out at anybody. The stupid thing made him lose his temper faster than ever.

 **The Human:** Do you wear a cute maid outfit during that?  
**The Human:** Or that’s too much to ask?

Edge mouthed your question a few times, utterly perplexed by the unfamiliar words used in it. He considered asking Papyrus about that, but he was almost sure that this was another weird joke of yours. And that was way too much interaction with the tall skeleton anyways. After a while of staring at the screen he decided to just ask, knowing that pretending to know about something he knew nothing about would only make it worse.

 **Edge Lord:** What do you mean?  
**The Human:** Oh, my sweet summer child  
**The Human:** I won’t ruin your innocence then  
**The Human:** Waiting

He grumbled a few colorful swear words directed at you and grabbed his empty plate before standing up. Of course that was your answer. You had too much fun pushing his buttons like that and that meant he would have to check this by himself on the internet. At least there was a fair amount of information once one knew how to use that damned well of everything.

He quickly washed his dishes and cleaned up after his breakfast - he had a silent understanding with Papyrus, that he would clean his stuff and prepare his own meals when they weren’t eating all together. He knew the tall skeleton would love to cook for him like he did for his brother, but that was too much for Edge.

He was on his way to leave the kitchen, when he heard him say. “HAVE A GOOD DAY, BROTHER.”

That made him stop in his tracks and cast a quick glance over his shoulder to look for this world’s cowardly Sans. The short skeleton wasn’t sitting by the table or even loitering around the fridge. He was nowhere to be seen at all. Papyrus was staring right at him though, as if waiting for some reaction.

When it dawned on him that those words were directed at him he felt… odd. They were living here for over two years and in some bizarre way they were related to each other, but he never thought about their situation like that. Would he really mind being called his brother...? The look of hope in Papyrus’ eyelights were enough for him to be certain. No. Not when it came to this particular skeleton. Though he would never admit it out loud, he grew fond of him over all that time.

“ **Just… don’t say that around them.** ”, he mumbled and turned away before he was able to see the delighted expression on Papyrus’ face. It was enough touchy-feely stuff for one day for him.

* * *

 

Just like you said over the text messages, you gave him your spare key to the loft and left him alone for the whole day. And you kept your promise about removing all the blasted socks from the area he would be cleaning - the only place he wasn’t supposed to touch was your art studio. This gave him a lot of hours to deal with your ungodly mess and even relax a little. He liked when things were in order and tidying was something that helped him loosen up, even when it came to the bombsite that your apartment was.

He started with the room that he thought was most important in every household - the kitchen. You didn’t stretch the truth when you said that the trash and dishes were taken care of regularly, so he let out a deep sigh of relief when he realized there wouldn’t be any disgusting and rotten things hidden under the stacks of boxes and containers. The fridge also was clean inside, though the produce were stuffed in there without any proper system.

That made his work much more pleasant and somehow the kitchen was done before he could notice. Some of the kitchen appliances you had were puzzling to him though and he made a mental note to check what were their purposes. He was certain that after dealing with you, there would be a lot of strange phrases in his old computer’s search history.

At the start, he thought that the whole ordeal would take him one full day at most. He was never so wrong in his entire life though. After finishing his work with the stove - the last thing on the list to do in this room - he glanced on the clock that was miraculously hanging on the wall this time only to find out that one whole day had passed. With a disgruntled frown, he decided to call it a day. He gathered the cleaning supplies and all the boxes with stuff that did not belong in the kitchen and moved that to the living room. He thought you would come back by this hour, but you were still gone.

With an unfazed shrug he took his jacket off the clothes hanger and left, remembering to close your door properly. While walking back home, he considered writing you a text that he was finished for the day, but he quickly discarded that idea. There was no need to notify you about that.

The next day he arrived at the same time, only to find that there was still no sign of you. That made him pause for a while. You weren’t lying when you said you were mostly out, it seems. He felt a little annoyed with himself that your absence made him think about you at all. It shouldn’t be that important - you had a deal with him that you won’t interrupt and he was perfectly happy with this arrangement.

Taking care of the living room proved to be much more tedious than taking care of the mess in the kitchen. The biggest difficulty was deciding where to put all the things you have gathered in the boxes. You did tell him he could toss away everything he thought was obsolete except for the things in the art room, but he had really hard time deciding which items were trash and which were some kind of keepsakes.

There were many books in what seemed the same gibberish language you wrote your List of Buckets, but also some smaller notebooks that looked a lot like diaries to him. A few boxes contained silly little figurines of some kind that looked like a set, used up but still looking fairly well toys, a teddy bear, some old cushions and even a very small blanket. There were also a few photo albums, but he didn’t waste his time to look through them - somehow it felt wrong and he didn’t want to linger on this feeling. He had more important things to do than to snoop around in your private life.

He did find a lot of things that belonged to the other rooms too. He carried all the stray plates, cups and cutlery to the kitchen, tossed the bed sheets and linen to the bedroom - it looked just like the rest of your apartment so he was ready for that sight - and he moved all the items that looked like they can be used in the bathroom to their proper destination.

The last enemy that awaited him in the living room was the couch. He remembered your tales about disappearing items that came near the damn piece of furniture and he made sure his phone was safely stuffed into his jacket’s pocket, hanging far from the hungry monstrosity. Twice.

He let out a deep sigh of relief when he removed all the big cushions and didn’t find anything remotely disgusting under them. There were a lot of coins, takeout recipes, three chopsticks and even remote batteries, but besides that, the couch needed only to be vacuumed and straightened to be parallel to the wall and the carpet. He wondered once or twice how long ago did you move to Ebott, but decided that it’s not his business anyways. He planned just to clean your place, collect his payment and leave. Though there was this little nagging feeling deep in his soul telling him that this wouldn’t be the last time he will be seeing you. He had thought the same when he proof read your story after all.

That day he managed to take care of the living room faster, so he decided to at least begin working his way through the bedroom before he goes home to rest. He was in the middle of pulling the boxes from under your wide bed, when he heard the front door open and close with a familiar metal clang. That didn’t make him even pause in his task - he was busy after all and he wasn’t going to interrupt his work only to look at your annoying face. You will probably come to see what is he doing anyways.

After a longer while, he turned to look at the bedroom door with a frown. He did hear you come in, he was certain of it, but there was no sign of you at all and he wouldn’t miss the sound of you leaving either. That distracted him enough to abandon the sheets he was folding only to curiously peek into the living room.

It took a while for him to notice you - only your naked feet visible from his point of view. You were lying on the couch, motionless and flimsily wrapped in that blasted fluffy blanket. He didn’t register when his legs carried him closer to you while he was still holding the folded linen in his hands. He leaned over the backrest to look at your sleeping face.

You looked dead tired, with dark bags under your eyes and messy hair. Also your clothes didn’t look better, all crumpled up in various places. You didn’t manage to even properly cover yourself with the blanket and one small decorative cushion was already on the carpet next to your weirdly outstretched hand. With a surprise he noticed you took off your socks and tried to hide them in your other hand, curled up and stuffed under your chest. You were one weird human.

He flinched slightly and moved away when you stirred in your sleep and decided he does _not_ want to be caught staring at you in your slumber. As quietly as it was possible to him, he went back to the bedroom and resumed his chores. It was hard for him to focus on his tasks and relax like before though, your peaceful and tired face occupying his mind. Seeing somebody fast asleep was always a bit perplexing for him, even after all this time in the safer version of his world.

He was hyper aware of every louder sound he made while opening the drawers or the big closet and his movements were way too careful. All this made him work much slower than he would like to, so he decided to drop it. He left the bedroom halfway done and evacuated from your apartment in a hurry. There wasn’t any time limit for this job, so he could always come the next day and finish everything anyways.

You were gone the next morning again.

That made him feel… really weird. He tried to quell this with going back to what he dropped yesterday, but there was still this small thought in the back of his mind. You didn’t text him at all now, even with all the stupid messages you spammed him prior to the beginning of his work. He did demand you leave him alone and let him do his job in peace, so you probably respected his conditions to the fullest, but somehow it bothered him way more than it should. And the fact that this bothered him made him feel annoyed at himself.

You did leave the art studio open this time, so he used this as an invitation to carry all the art supplies he had found the day before inside after he was done with the bedroom. The stupid anatomy prop was sitting on the chair next to the typewriter and had an obnoxious pink hat on its head, staring at the wall with its empty eye sockets. The mere sight of a lifeless skeleton made Edge cringe when his eyelights only laid on it and he tried to avoid looking at Ed ever since.

He put the stack of boxes on the desk and noticed that there were more items on your List of Buckets, as well as some of the older ones were freshly crossed out. Curiously, he leaned a little to look at the list, but except for some words, he still couldn’t read most of the gibberish you wrote. The paper was so long it hung low enough to have its lower end pinched to the wall with the desktop. For a brief moment he wondered how many things you were planning to put on the list - there was still a lot of space for new items, even with all those you supposedly already did.

He didn’t allow himself to space out over your stupid plans and hurried to the living room. After silently closing the art room door, he proceeded to folding sheets and putting all your stuff to the drawers and the closet (socks excluded). An hour has passed, and he was ready to take care of the bathroom.

This was the easiest task - the whole room was tiled and there weren’t any boxes with your stupid things except for those he himself carried inside. You weren’t really messy, however contradictory this sounded, and the bathroom was fairly clean to begin with. After he was done, the whole room was smelling of the cleaning supplies. He decided to walk through all the other rooms and check if there wasn’t any places he forgot to clean, but he was quite thorough to begin with. He didn’t even have to fix the couch and the blanket, because you did it already after supposedly getting up and leaving before he arrived.

Looking around the apartment, he did a pretty damn good job he was proud of and the only thing that was left were the windows. He postponed that for the very end of his deal, because he was a little worried somebody could see him cleaning the windows from the street, but after a longer time spent in the apartment, he noticed this alley wasn’t really used.

He was almost finished when you finally came home. He knew you noticed him standing on the windowsill, but you didn’t say anything and disappeared in the kitchen. There was no point in complaining about this really, but he found out he didn’t like to be purposefully ignored like that. This was pretty stupid for him, though he couldn’t do anything about how he felt in this situation.

After few minutes, he was done. He closed the last window and tossed his cleaning supplies into a small bucket he was using during the whole job. The rubber gloves went inside too and he decided to walk to the kitchen and notify you about the fact he finished doing everything he deemed necessary.

You were sitting on the worktop, your legs dangling freely from the edge. When he entered the kitchen, your attention snapped from the kettle to him and you smiled as if the whole three days of ignoring and silence didn’t even happen. You didn’t say a thing though.

“ **I’m done.** ”, he decided to announce to break the silence.

“That’s cool.”, you jumped off the worktop and almost slipped on the floor - the bare socks didn’t help you in maintaining the balance at all. “Whoa… okay. So now would you like some tea? It’s clean here, thanks to some skeletal cleaning fairy I am not supposed to talk about.”

“ **No.** ”, he scoffed, though there was much less irritation in his voice now that you finally decided to speak to him. He knew why you were like this, but still…

“Okay. So lemme make my own tea and we’ll talk payment real quick.”, you hummed and turned your back to him to pour the boiling water to the cup.

He moved away from your path when you walked to the living room with the steaming beverage in your hand. In a few large steps, he was beside the couch right before you sat on it with a deep sigh and looked around.

“Damn. You are a miracle worker, Edgy Edge de la Edge.”, he ignored your stupid nicknames yet again, focusing on the praise you were giving him. “Really thought this was hopeless, but you managed to do it in almost three days. You ever thought about freelancing in this?”

He furrowed his brows when he heard your question. “ **No… what’s freelancing?** ”

“You know…”, you shrugged and began searching through your stuff in your bag. “Being self-employed. Independent worker that does their job without anyone interfering. I know that cleaning maybe isn’t the greatest field of work, but I know some people who did that and it paid well.”

“ **There are _other_ humans who are too lazy to clean their own places?** ”, he walked around the couch and sat on the corner of the coffee table, a fair distance from you.

“Well… yeah? Humans _are_ pretty lazy. Most of them work long hours and just don’t have time and energy to do that themselves. It’s neat that they let other people earn money that way.”, you pulled out your wallet from the depths of your bag and turned to him. “Have you thought how much you want me to pay you?”

He did, over the past week he was wondering how much would be enough for him but reasonable for you. He still didn’t have a clue how did this work in the human world, but there was always a chance to lower the payment a notch. He felt a small smirk appearing on his face.

“ **Yes, I did, human.** ”, he responded and gave you the amount that even he thought was way too high, only to see how you squirm.

“Alright.”, you just said and proceeded to take out the banknotes out of your wallet.

“ **Wait...what?** ”, he shook his head in disbelief.

“We had a deal, right? You did your part, now it’s my turn, so… “, you stood up, grabbed his wrist and stuffed a handful of notes in his hand. “No tip though, you’re still rude.”

Edge looked at the money and tried really hard to comprehend what you just did. There was no way he could have been paid this much for such work, but there it was. Right in his bony hand.

“Not enough? I think I’ve counted it properly…”, you spoke over the cup in your hands.

“ **N-no.. it’s…** ”, he stammered and quickly turned away. “ **It’s fine. Your payment is acceptable, human.** ”

He didn’t notice when he clenched his fist on the notes, so he quickly relaxed his grip and walked towards his jacket, to put the money away. He was still slightly dazed from the whole situation - a human paying him exactly what he said for one job - so he didn’t hear what you said. He was vigilant enough to notice you did ask him a question.

“ **What?** ”, he turned around, his hands still occupied with stuffing his own wallet into the inner pocket of his jacket.

“I asked if you were tired.”, you said a little louder and walked towards the art studio, the cup in your hand.

“ **This activity was not nearly hard enough to make me tired.** ”, he answered in a cautious tone.

“Cool!”, you called from behind the door and after a few seconds and a rattling sound, you emerged with the horrible anatomy prop wrapped around your shoulder again. “Wanna go to my band’s rehearsal?”

“ **And _why_ would I even do such a thing?** ”, he huffed, still not sure what were you up to. He knew you were though. He was certain of it.

“Oh… well. If that’s a no, Ed will come with me.”, you sat the ‘dead’ skeleton down on the couch and with your cup still in your hand, disappeared in the bedroom, leaving a puzzled magic one in the living room.

“ **Of course that’s a n- you can’t carry that _thing_ across the town!** ”, he finally realized what utter nonsense you were talking about.

“He’s not a thing! He’s got a _PhD_ in osteology!”, you yelled happily from your bedroom.

There were sounds of opening and closing the drawers for a few longer whiles, but you finally went back to the living room. And to Edge’s dread you were carrying a leather jacket which you started to put on the anatomy prop.

“ **You… you can’t do that!** ”, he argued loudly while looking at your attempts to pull the skeletal hand through the sleeve.

“Why not? Ed has already agreed to accompany me. I don’t want to go alone, we finish late and it’s kinda scary to walk around here at that hour. But he will protect me.”, you gave an affectionate pat on prop’s skull and a wide smile to the real skeleton.

“ **N-...** ”, he took a deep breath and shook his head. “ **You know what? Do what you want.** ”, he growled and took his jacket off the hanger, but suddenly felt really uncomfortable putting it on while you just did almost the same to the skeleton on the couch.

“I will!”, you chirped and after stuffing some items back into your bag and putting it over your shoulder, you began dragging the prop towards the door.

Edge was just standing there, frozen in place, trying to comprehend how crazy he thought you were. Were you seriously considering taking that thing with you, all the way to wherever your band was meeting? This was such a bizarre situation, he really didn’t know how to approach this. You were already putting your shoes on and the anatomy prop was sitting patiently on the floor to be picked when you’re done and something told Edge, you were going to do it.

“ **Wait.** ”, he breathed, still quite shocked with your weirdness.

You looked at him with a smile plastered across your face. Again. This damn smile. “Yeah?”

“ **I will go with you.** ”, he spat. He was angry at himself for agreeing. He was angry at you for being such a strange creature. He was angry at the damn skeleton for existing.

“Oh, that’s great!”, you finished putting on your shoes and stood up, picking the skeleton from the floor along the way. “The more the merrier.”

“ **No. No no no.** ”, the skeleton stepped between you and the front door quickly. “ **You and me. Leave that thing behind.** ”

He didn’t like the glint that appeared in your eyes when he said these words. There was something coming, something that will irritate him even further and he was sure there would be nothing he could do about it anyways.

“Say it.”

“ **If you fucking think that I will stoop so low to-** ”, he started his rant while pointing his bony finger at you, but you immediately interrupted by coming closer to him, with the anatomy prop wrapped around your neck. This made him stop for a second, but that was long enough for you to repeat yourself.

“Say it.”, you were still smiling.

With an exasperated sigh he lowered his head and pinched his nasal bone between his fingers. There was no winning with you. He didn’t understand how the hell you managed to do that to him, but you’ve won again, only with your smile and previous behavior.

“ **FINE.** ”, he growled angrily and uttered through his grit teeth. “ **Leave. _Ed._ Behind.** ”

“Let’s go!”, you said cheerfully and put the prop back on the floor next to the wall.

When you were both leaving, Ed was looking at the door with his empty eye sockets.


	6. Rain on Parade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Almost 1000 hits?! That's so freaking a lot! Thank you so much for your support, guys!
> 
>  
> 
> Edge manages to deal with you (for most of the time), but how will he deal with other humans? Or more importantly... how will they deal with him?

 

He thought about leaving you on the way to the rehearsal, he really did. He could have just walked away and let you go there without his company. There was no need for him to escort you anyways. He never had any problems while walking through this district and he knew how a dangerous alley usually looks like - this wasn’t the case here. If he was sure you would just give up and go to your friends, he really would be on his way home already. But… you wouldn’t. One glance at you and he was certain you would go straight back to your loft to collect that fucking thing named Ed. He suspected you gave the ‘dead’ skeleton this name only to irk him with it and the jacket you’ve put on it was probably chosen for the same damn purpose.

Edge turned his head a little to see if you were still pouting that his motorcycle wasn’t somewhere near. You were quite disappointed to learn, that the aggressive skeleton wasn’t driving to work on his precious vehicle - and why would he risk leaving it in this disgusting human district anyways? You did say you only hoped to see it, not ride it, but the skeleton felt glad he didn’t succumb to his laziness and decided to walk here that day.

Acting like a spoiled child took you no longer than ten seconds and you quickly returned to your weird and cheerful self that was trying to rope him into a small talk in that moment. He tried to ignore you, but after a few of your attempts he began reacting with curt answers. After the three day long silence he somehow welcomed your annoying blabbering. You were less frustrating to him when you were talking, so it seems.

You led the way for about half an hour and the two of you ended up entering an old building. Its bricks were weathered and cracked in many places, but still keeping the whole construction together, and the windows, some of them covered with planks and thick particle boards, still retained most of their dirty windshields. He heard music coming from upstairs, but except for that, the neighbourhood was eerily quiet and it seemed that most of the apartment blocks and buildings were abandoned. It still didn’t look like the worse districts in his own New Home, but he could imagine how stressful walking through here could be, especially for somebody as weak as you.

After walking through many long and empty corridors, you stopped in front of an old elevator shaft and pressed one button to summon the cabin. The echoing sounds of grinding gears and stretching rusty cable weren’t at all encouraging to enter it when it arrived, but you stepped inside with a confident smile, so the skeleton didn’t dare to stay behind. The ride was way too long for him, but instead of trying to voice his annoyance, he focused on the music that was getting louder and louder. When the elevator cabin finally came to halt and you opened the grate, he stepped out of the dangerous thing almost immediately.

“Didn’t know you’re claustrophobic, Edgy Mc Edge. We can take the stairs when we’re leaving if you wanna.”, you said to his back while closing the grate with a loud clang.

He ignored your words and walked towards the music he was hearing as soon as he entered the building. It was more familiar to him than the stuff you made him listen to during the storm and even the lyrics were in English, though from what he heard, the band playing right now wasn’t particularly good at their job. When he walked into the spacious room with an old bench standing next to the nearest wall and various musical instruments occupying the very middle of the dusty floor, the music died out with a few false notes.

Edge took his time looking around the room, searching for any possible ways out, potential impromptu weapons and any other dangers to avoid or advantages he could use if needed. While doing this, he always had the three humans standing next to the musical instruments in his sight, but he decided they’re not threatening at the moment. You joined him shortly after and greeted everybody with a hearty weave of your hands.

“Hey, guys! Sorry for being late.”, you said to them with a smile and turned towards the skeleton, gesturing dramatically at him. “I have brought a skeleton as I promised!”

“ **What!?** ”, he frowned and whipped his head at your direction.

All three humans looked at Edge with expressions varying from curiosity to sheer horror. The small human sitting behind the drums was really pale for a moment and the biggest one holding a bass guitar quickly took off his hair with… no. That was just a wig made from really long black artificial hair.

“It was either you or Ed. And to be honest, I prefer you… but don’t tell him that.”, you said softly and winked at him.

He was about to scoff something at you and had his hands already in the air, both clenched into tight fists, but the sudden movement attracted his full attention. The biggest guy - Edge guessed this one was a male - walked quickly towards you both. This human was rather broad and tall, though not taller than the monster standing next to you. He had short but wavy hair and oddly dark eyes.

“Who’s that, _____?”, the human asked in a slightly demanding tone and stopped very close to you, putting one hand on your shoulder. His other hand was still occupied with the black wig, which strands were dragging behind him.

The skeleton frowned a little at this blatant expression of possessiveness, though he was much more interested in hearing your name for the first time. He repeated it a few times in his mind to be sure to remember it correctly if he ever needs to use it. You were right (and he hated it), there were four of your kind in this room now and referring to anybody as “human” would be confusing for everybody.

“Ah! Let me introduce you properly!”, you jumped to stand on the other side of Edge, so you weren’t blocking the whole view. “These are… Damien.”, you pointed at the big guy who was looking at the skeleton with a deep frown. “...Toby”, the small human behind the drums suddenly got beet red and hid his face behind some sheet music. “... and Cindy.”, the girl next to the drums was clumsily trying to put her guitar on the rack.

There were a few hesitant mumbles of welcome, but the skeleton noticed that Damien didn’t even move, still staring at him with an unpleasant glint in his dark eyes.

“Everyone, this is Edge. He is my…”, your voice suddenly trailed off and you looked straight at him, waiting for something.

This gave him a pause for a moment and his attention snapped from the hostile human to you. You were giving him a free choice how to name his weird relationship with you. He couldn’t call himself your cleaner or something like that, because that deal was already done and he really hoped he wouldn’t have to delve into your chaos ever again. It wasn’t like you didn’t know him at all too, you knew about his… mild discomfort concerning thunderstorms and you were the only one who knew about the work he did. There was also this look that your human friend gave him from the very start and that made him want to bring Damien down a peg. He's made his decision.

“ **... new monster friend.** ”, he said in a defiant tone and crossed his arms while allowing himself to smirk slightly.

You looked surprised for a second, but then you gave him this smile of yours that was always perplexing him to the core. “Yeah. My new monster friend.”

He turned his head to look at Damien’s face and it was absolutely priceless - the utter shock and disgruntled disbelief made the skeleton’s sly smile a tad wider. When he met the man’s dark gaze he lifted one of his bone brows in a taunting manner.

“Cindy wanted to talk to you…”, the man said carefully controlling his voice. “Bart called her again.”

“Oh. Right!”, you gasped while looking at the redhead woman and covered your mouth with your hand. Before walking towards her though, you leaned closer to the skeleton and whispered “Now you can’t deny it anymore. _It’s official~_ ”

“ **Shut up.** ”, Edge growled immediately, not even bothering to pretend that he’s nice towards you. He wasn’t nice towards anybody. Those humans were better off knowing this from the start.

With a giggle you bounced towards the girl and both of you walked away to the far corner to talk in somewhat more private conditions. Unfortunately, Damien stayed with the skeleton, glaring more daggers at him than a minute earlier.

“ **What?** ”, Edge spat aggressively, not waiting for the staring contest to end.

The human flinched at his sudden question, allowing him to learn another thing - Damien was jumpy around him, maybe even a little scared. Good.

“You’re a skeleton monster, right…?”, he asked in a steady voice and took a step towards Edge, as if something like that could seem threatening for the Ex-Captain of the Royal Guard.

“ **And what could have _possibly_ given me away?** ”, he snorted in response while rolling his eyes, his arms still crossed on his chest.

He allowed his gaze to land on your back and stay there for a longer while. You were gesturing with your left hand when the right one was wrapped around the human woman in a comforting manner. The redhead was probably crying before, because her eyes were puffy as Edge noticed.

“There’s no need for _that_ , you know?”, Damien grumbled.

Instead of answering him in any way, Edge decided he’s more interested in the musical instruments standing or lying in the middle of the room. With a few long steps he was right beside the drums and something that looked like a piano keyboard but with many many more knobs, buttons and lights. The device looked quite interesting and he reached towards it with his bony hand to touch the plastic casing.

“I wo-wo-would rather you d-don’t touch this…”, a quiet and stuttering voice said. “... p-please…?”

The skeleton looked curiously at the small freckled man (or boy?) sitting right next to the drum kit. He was scrawny looking and had dark, messy hair. His small hands were squeezing the drumsticks close to his chest nervously and his whole frame gave off the vibe of a victim. He wouldn’t last a day in his Underground, though it was commendable he tried to set some boundaries despite his obvious fear.

“ **You operate this?** ”, the skeleton asked and leaned to take a better look both at the device and at the man named Toby. He didn’t touch the weird keyboard, but his hand was still pointing at it.

“Y-yes…”, he mumbled and shrunk a little more, probably overwhelmed by his sudden attention.

“ **And you play the drums too? At the _same time_?** ”, he cocked his head a little to give a quick glance at the various drums, toms and cymbals. There were a lot of them.

“W-well… almost… I… I-I mean… I just… set the synth be-before we play a-and… press… some keys…?”, his voice was getting softer while his face was getting redder under the skeleton’s intense stare.

The skeleton frowned a little and looked at the device again, getting more and more curious. He did see something familiar in the television, but never saw it up close. It seemed really complicated, the knobs and buttons labeled with both familiar and unfamiliar words.

“ **What does this d-?** ”, he was just about to ask about one button that drew his attention when Damien’s voice rang from a few feet away.

“Toby, we got a rehearsal to start.”

“O-okay…”, the small man nodded nervously and almost dropped his drumsticks. “I… I’m sorry. May-maybe later…”

Those last words were probably directed at Edge, though Toby didn’t dare to look at him, his face still flushed bright red. The skeleton took this as his cue to move away from the instruments and so he did, stuffing both hands into his pockets on his way towards the wall and the old bench. The thing looked like it should be in the park, but probably someone dragged it here for sitting purposes. Edge sat on it, his legs wide in a comfortable and confident pose.

“Alright, guys. Let’s give our new monster friend a sample of our music. He gives the _best_ feedback in the hood.”, you were in the middle of the room already, a microphone in your hand.

The skeleton scoffed at your words. This was the most ridiculous compliment he had ever heard, but he wasn’t particularly surprised you said that. He was slowly getting used to your weirdness, though he wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing. It was always hard to decide when it came to you.

Damien put the black wig back on his head and it didn’t look as stupid as Edge originally thought it did. The redhead named Cindy had her guitar ready to go already and Toby pushed some buttons on his device before giving everybody the signal to begin the song. And your band started playing.

It was… something. The skeleton grimaced slightly when he heard that some of the notes were a little off, but if he would be honest, this wasn’t that bad. The big human played his bass guitar correctly most of the time and Cindy even managed to use her own instrument properly during half of the song (though the solo part was horrible). Edge observed that the smallest human was very vigilant and noticed every time when his eye lights were on his drum kit or keyboard device. It would be a good trait if it wasn’t for the fact that Toby made mistakes every single time he met the skeleton’s gaze. The vocals, that means mostly Damien but also you, were the same as the rest - overall bearable, but still felt like you all needed more time. Although the monster found your voice much more pleasant to listen to than your singing partner’s one.

When the song ended, you looked with that damned smile straight at the skeleton and put the microphone down.

“So? What does our monster friend think?”, you came closer to him and put your both hands on your hips.

“ **I am _not_ …**”, he paused for a moment when he realized what he was about to say. There was no turning back now though, he saw it in your eyes. “ **... I’m only _your_ friend. Not theirs.** ”

He heard Damien snort with exasperation at those words and decided he really wants to give your band a feedback now. After a quick look at the other humans, he leaned back and propped his elbows on the backrest of the bench, successfully claiming most of the space on it.

“ **FINE.** ”, he barked at you, only making you smile wider. “ **Your band _sucks._ You need way more practice before you could show yourself to the wider public without _embarrassing_ yourselves. But at least _some of you_ know how to play.** ”

He noticed the way Toby hang his head low and huffed. “ **You, drum boy**.”

The small man jumped nervously in his seat and hunched more in a defensive manner. Before Edge could even say something, he heard Damien growl angrily at him.

“He has a name.”

“ **I don’t give a _fuck_ about your names, humans.** ”, he said calmly while looking at the big man with the corner of his eye socket. “ **You wanted feedback, I’m giving it. So… the drum boy seems to be the best out of your _miserable lot_.** ”

That made Toby drop his drumsticks and stutter something way too quietly to be audible from where the skeleton was sitting. But Edge knew his comment surprised almost everyone in the group. Of course you were grinning wider than ever.

“ **Only if you would focus on actually playing, you’d be fine.** ”, the skeleton shrugged and moved his attention to the redhead woman. “ ** _Your_ solo sucks. Practice more on it or just try something easier, because that was the most awful part of the whole song. You managed at least to pull off the chorus part.”**

Cindy pouted at his blunt judgement. “As if you can play anything…”

“ **I actually can.** ”, Edge retorted quickly and turned to Damien, who looked ready to retaliate for any mean comment directed at him. “ **You were mostly tolerable.** ”

It was somewhat satisfying to irk this human like that. He watched him with amusement how his lips open to say something, but quickly close when he realizes there’s nothing mean in the skeleton’s comment to respond to. Damien pursed his lips tightly and turned away to correct something with his guitar’s strings without looking at the occupied bench.

“And what about the vocals?”, your voice attracted his attention.

“ **Vocals…?** ”, he took a while to decide on what to say and finally said with a smirk. “ **Acceptable. My ears didn’t fall off.** ”

“Dude, b-but you have like... n-no ears…”, Toby spoke softly, which was heard quite clearly in the silence that fell after Edge’s joke. Too much time spent with any of the Sanses was at fault here, but he didn’t mind making humans uncomfortable that way.

“ **Then I stand corrected. They were also horrible**.”, he said before other humans managed to chide the drummer for his inappropriate comment.

You laughed loudly at this and wrapped your hands around your stomach. After a few seconds of unrestrained giggles, you had to sit down on the bench, next to the skeleton, fighting for your breath between “i can’t”s and “holy shit”s. Edge felt his smile get a little wider. There was something in your wild laughter that he liked, so making you lose it like that felt quite satisfying for him.

The rehearsal lasted for two more hours and he did his best to annoy you, Damien and Cindy with his curt comments and double-edged feedback between the songs. Somehow he didn’t feel like doing the same to the small drummer, though honestly there wasn’t a lot to hook on. He was just good.

Edge learned that you planned to have a small concert during Halloween and even managed to get one club agree to host your band. The songs you were playing were a little difficult, but it seemed that all of the humans were dead set on performing them at the concert. If that was the case, you all really needed to practice more.

The skeleton waited impatiently when you were saying your goodbyes to the other band members. He rolled his eyes at that weird show of affection you had with every single one of them. When you hugged them all to your heart’s content, you motioned at him you’re ready to go. He did walk you here, so he could as well do the same with getting you home. Not that he was concerned about you at all. You were too crazy to be safely mugged by anyone.

“You know…”, you started speaking and turned into a different corridor this time, leading you both to the staircase. “... I talked to Cindy and she’s in need of some serious cleaning in her apartment.”

“ **I _told_ y-** ”, he started growling at you, but your finger appeared right in front of his nasal bone and made him go silent.

“I haven’t told her anything about you. Just said I know a guy…”, you shrugged and started jumping down the stairs, one step at a time. “Her place is a mess after her ex trashed it with his pals. She wants to sell it, cause it’s too big, but has no time between her two jobs and rehearsals. And she’s kinda scared they might come back. She crashes at Damien’s place for now.”

“ **And you want me to do that for _her_?** ”, he frowned. You were still jumping, but your words were more occupying than your strange behavior this time.

“No. _Please_ , Edge. I want you to do that for money.”, you turn your head to look at him and in process almost slip on the edge of the stair. You manage to land safely a second later. “You still want money, right?”

His hand jerked towards you when he saw you slipping and he scolded himself in his mind for a stupid reaction like that. There was no need for that at all and he shouldn’t even bother catching you when you fall anyways. He clenched his hands into fists and stuffed them into his jacket’s pockets.

“ **I do. That’s the only reason I even _considered_ mingling with your disgusting kind.** ”, he grimaced.

“See. That’s what I’m talking about.”, you finally reached the last step and decided to walk normally from now on. “She’s working most of the time so you won’t see her anyways. But there is some furniture to fix… dunno if you’re capable of that.”

He stares back at you when you give him this knowing look of yours. “ **Depends on the damage.** ”

“Cool. So… when will you start? I can text her right now.”, you began walking backwards in front of him, slightly tripping over the debris and old bricks that are scattered on the ground.

“ **You assume I will just take it?** ”, he growled at you.

“Yep. I mean… you can say no, that’s totally fine. I just think you will agree anyways.”, your grin was getting too irritating for him, so he looked away.

“ **FINE.** ”, he spat in the same manner he always did when you won a battle with him. He had lost count how many times that happened.

* * *

 

When he finally got home, it was really late. He tried to walk around the house as silently as possible, but he didn’t predict that Sans was up too, snooping around the fridge.

“ **Bro… I thought you’re fast asleep in your room.** ”, the small skeleton said softly with his bone brows high. There was a bottle of mustard in his hand.

“ **I was working.** ”, Edge responded quickly and after discarding his shoes and jacket, he walked to the stairs.

“ **Ya got a job?** ”

“ **Yes. And I’m tired**.” The surprise in his brother’s voice made him scowl. He didn’t want Sans to notice that though, so he just got up the stairs and turned right towards his room.

“ **What is it?** ”, the small skeleton appeared right next to him, but this time Edge was ready for that and didn’t even flinch.

“ **Freelancing.** ”, he spat and entered his room.

He shut the door behind him quickly and perhaps a little too loudly. He knew Sans won’t even think about teleporting inside, though there was a thought in his mind, that he wanted him to do that this time. The surprise in his brother’s voice struck a chord in his soul and Edge felt a sudden urge to hit something. Not Sans… but at least something in his line of sight so he would know that his younger brother was pissed at him. He had to take it out on something anyways.

While lying down in his bed he decided, he will deal with the shattered night lamp in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely edge-lovers! I have two fabulous questions for you!
> 
> 1\. What name should we call the human band that Reader joined? Any ideas? 
> 
> 2\. What instrument does our edgy edgelord play? Give me your wildest fantasies!


	7. Coming up a Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge takes out some trash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh darn! So many comments with so many wonderful ideas for instruments and band names. Most of you, my wonderful marshmallows, said that our Edgelord plays violin and I totally agree with you! But! We all know he's a talented guy, so let's decide if he's capable of something else! Here's a poll for you:
> 
> [Choose another instrument our edgelord can play!](http://www.strawpoll.me/13712067)
> 
> This chapter might be unpleasant to some people. TW: domestic abuse, violence.

After the first day of cleaning at Cindy's place, the aggressive skeleton needed to take a break from everything. It's not that her apartment was even comparable to your untamed chaos that occupied every single corner of your living space, no. The female human's loft was smaller and the mess there was created in a few days, not weeks, like yours probably had been. There was also a lot of damaged furniture, broken pots with dirt spilling on the carpets, small paint or blood stains on the walls and the sofa, but... it was just that. He could perfectly well deal with a mess of any caliber and feel just fine.

The problem was his new employer, who decided it would be funny to leave socks everywhere imaginable, even when you specifically told her not to do that. Or maybe Cindy did that because she knew it would irritate Edge and he was more than certain it was the latter – it takes a racist to know another one. He wasn't going to play her games though, so every time he had found a stray sock, he made sure there was a half meter radius around it where he didn't touch anything. It made the mess look quite silly, with spots of dirt in the middle of a clean carpet or small pile of trash around the pink sock lying near the corner of the bedroom, but if Cindy was going to be petty, so was he.

He counted twenty three socks scattered around the apartment when he decided that he's finished for that day and won't stand a sight of another scandalous garment purposefully left for him to find. With an irritated growl he shut the front door and locked them with a spare key he got from you. There was one human neighbour getting into his own place when Edge kicked the doormat to spend some of his annoyance. He met the skeleton's pissed off gaze and hastened inside with a scared yelp.

**Edge Lord:** Your stupid friend left the socks all over.  
**Edge Lord:** If that's how she wants it, today's cleaning is free of charge and she can fuck off.

He typed angrily those messages to you and stuffed his phone deep into his pants pocket. Fortunately, Cindy was living on the verge of the biggest monster district, so the walk home was really short and he didn't see any other humans on his way. He didn't have patience for your disgusting kind that day and the last thing he wanted to see was a fleshy face. He didn't stay in the house for long, entering only to grumble a half-assed “hello” to Papyrus and get his motorcycle keys. He really needed a ride to chill.

He missed riding his motorcycle and he didn't have a chance to do that for a longer while, so when he finally opened the garage door and his eyelights landed on his precious vehicle, he already felt a little calmer. He touched the leather seat in an almost loving manner and grabbed the handlebars, feeling how perfectly they fit to his bony hands. He led out his black and chrome motorcycle outside and put his helmet on. He saw his brother with the corner of his eye socket, but didn't bother to indicate in any way that he had noticed him.

“ **Hey, bro... Everythin' good?** ”, Sans walked closer to him and stuffed his hands deep into his black hoodie's pockets. He smelled of tobacco smoke and grease, meaning he just came back from Grillby's.

“ **Nothing I can't deal with.** ”, he answered him in a curt manner and got on the motorcycle. “ **Work stuff.** ”

“ **Ah...** ”, he cocked his head a little. “ **Ya gonna be home later?** ”

“ **Maybe. I need a longer ride.** ”, he grumbled and finally started the engine.

A wave of relief flooded his soul when he heard his motorcycle roar to life and felt it vibrate under him. He missed that so much. He was so focused on these sensations that he didn't hear what his brother said to him. But it didn't matter now, he was sure they both knew it. He liked to ride somewhere, anywhere, when he was really pissed and this was one of that days. It was better to leave him alone, let him cool off a little and only then he was able to talk about the issue.

“ **Stay safe?** ”, his brother said in a slightly worried tone and Edge only nodded at that.

With another angry roar of his motorcycle's engine, he left the driveway in front of the house and accelerated as soon as the tires hit the asphalt. He didn't exceed the speed limit, knowing that dealing with the police was the last thing he wanted at the moment, so he headed toward the highway that allowed him to reach greater speed. For about two hours his mind was blank, filled only with the sound of wind passing his helmet and yanking his jacket and the blaring of his vehicle. He felt as free and alive as when he reached the Surface for the first time.

He managed to calm down halfway to Mt. Ebott, but he didn't want to go back yet. At home all three skeletons left him to his own devices for most of the time, excluding the shared meals Papyrus insisted on every day, but he never felt he was truly alone there. Here, on his motorcycle, far from the monster district, in the ominous shadow of the mountain, there was nobody around that could look at thim with brotherly worry, hopeful expectations or mild annoyance well hidden under a wide grin. There was rarely anybody around here, both humans and monsters rather avoiding this place because of the ugly history it represented. He didn't mind that at all.

He pulled over near the Underground entrance, but didn't even get off his motorcycle. There was no need for that, though he promised himself he will go down there one day, just to see how different this place was from his own world. For now, he only needed to feel the remnants of the powerful magic that filled every stone, tree and even air here. He took off his helmet and let out a very deep and relaxed sigh while closing his eye sockets for a longer while. It was so quiet he heard the ringing in his ear bones that was left after listening to the sound of his motorcycle's engine all the way to that place.

The atmosphere around Mt. Ebott was dark and heavy, but also peaceful in that weird way only abandoned places were. He caught himself staring at the dark peak of the mountain with a wistful smile on his face. He was ready to go back.

* * *

 

  
**The Human:** Talked to Cin.  
**The Human:** What she did was totally uncool.  
**The Human:** She has a rough patch, give her another chance.  
**The Human:** No socks this time.  
**The Human:** She promised.

He really didn't feel like going back there and doing anything for that obnoxious and ungrateful human your female friend was, but a job is a job. He didn't have enough renown around to be picky yet, so the only thing that was left for him to do was to trust your words and go back to the cleaning he left undone. He was way more calm than yesterday, though with every step he took closer to Cindy's apartment building he felt irritation grow inside of him. Good thing that at least his work was relaxing for him...

As soon as he reached the sixth floor (there was no way he would use the elevator now) he heard a ruckus. Humans were often noisy and liked to draw everybody's attention to themselves, but this time it didn't sound like an overzealous neighbour testing out their new stereo. Somebody was shouting obscenities at something or someone and there was a few crashes as if a glass or a plate fell on the floor. Edge grimaced slightly, knowing that your disgusting kind did that way too often for his tastes – it reminded him his home, where violence was one of the very few ways to solve any issue. He decided to ignore this. He was here to work, not to interfere. Especially when he was lectured that humans don't necessarily like it when somebody intervened in their private hassles.

He needed to pause when he stopped in front of Cindy's apartment door though. The sounds of the roughhousing were coming from the inside and the door was wide open. There was nobody else in the corridor except for him, so either every single tenant was at work or all of them decided they're temporarily deaf. Edge himself hesitated. Was he supposed to go inside? This was obviously not his business, he learned in his Underground the hard way that meddling into other people's issues was stupid and unhealthy. He wasn't the Captain of the Royal Guard in this world anyways, so this wasn't his duty either.

He made his decision in split seconds when he heard a female voice scream in fright right before another sharp clatter of a breaking dish rang from the apartment. This was enough for him to barge inside with his fists clenched tightly and magic thrumming inside his bones, ready to be used.

“ _See_ what you're doing to me, baby? Doing to _us_? We were _so happy_ , but look at me now!”, the unfamiliar male voice was coming from the kitchen.

Edge passed the living room in a few long strides, ignoring the fact that his yesterday's work was ruined and the mess was even worse than before, and found himself in the doorway to the next room just in time to see another plate being thrown towards the wall. In the far corner, curled up, with her hands wrapped protectively around her head, was Cindy. She was trying to choke down her sobs, but she was doing a very poor job.

“I _told_ you, Cinny! You _don't_ get to leave me like that! Not after _all those years_ we were together! _Why_ would you waste this?! We are _perfect_ for each other!”, the short but buff man grabbed another dish and Cindy yelped bracing for another projectile.

The skeleton didn't waste time for thinking and just entered the kitchen. He needed just three steps to stand between the victim and the aggressor and when he did, both humans gasped in surprise. It seemed they were so occupied with the situation, they didn't even notice him standing in the doorway.

“Wha- what the _fuck_ are you?! Get lost, you freak! This is a private property!”, the man bellowed at him angrily when he shook off the initial surprise the skeleton invoked.

“ **This is my _workplace_ , human.**”, Edge seethed through his teeth and risked one short glance over his shoulder to check on the woman curled up on the floor. She looked slightly banged up but not badly injured, though she didn't dare to move yet. Her scared, wide open eyes were barely visible between her forearms wrapped around her head.

“Are you fucking serious, babe? You've hired a walking corpse to do your work?”, the man's voice was dripping with contempt and fury. “I knew letting you go meet with those pieces of shit was a bad idea, but fuck... that's crazier than I thought you're capable of.”

The human was red on his face and smelled strongly of liquor, meaning he was drunk. That explained why he wasn't even slightly scared of the tall and menacing skeleton standing in front of him and leering at his small black eyes with anger matching his own. Even worse, his condition made him easily riled up and the sole presence of the third party made the man even more furious.

“ **Female human. Is this _your_ property?** ”, Edge was now fully focused on the aggressor standing in front of him. “ **Does this apartment belong to you?** ”

He recalled she wanted to sell this loft and that's why he was here in the first place, but there was always a chance that she was lying or he misinterpreted her words. He needed to be careful in this situation, no matter how much he wanted to bash the man's head in with his fist. He was many things, but an ungrateful bastard was not one of them and he couldn't force Papyrus to deal with another lawsuit on his behalf.

“What the fuck are you still doing here?! You're fired! Get fucking lost before I call the cops. Or my _dog_!”, the man swayed slightly to the right, but still managed to keep upright.

Edge already knew he was preparing to throw the plate again, but decided to turn to Cindy anyways. She was still on the floor, but this time her hands were lower, so he could see her tear stained face clearly.

“ ** _Answer me_ , for fuck’s sake.**”, he growled at her and that made her cower more. “ **Is this _your_ apartment? Is this man breaking and entering?** ”

She managed to nod with a wordless plea filling her eyes. He really hoped that she wasn't giving him that answer only to be saved, because that would mean a huge shitstorm in the court.

“Are you deaf!?”, the man screamed and the skeleton felt the plate hit his chest and break into many pieces. It almost hurt, but mostly pissed him off more.

The fragments of the broken dish didn't manage to get to the ground yet when he moved. It took Edge a split second to get to the human and grab him by his collar with one hand. He didn't even have the chance to react and he was already pressed to the wall, with a bony hand tearing his t-shirt in its grip and an angry skeleton standing close to him. The man's disgusting fleshy hands flailed for a while and then grabbed his forearm.

“Let me go, you freak!”, the man yelled at him, but the skeleton noticed with satisfaction that there was also a hint of fear next to a drunken anger in his voice.

The human tried to get free but nothing he did could change his situation. Edge didn't even blink when he felt a few weak strikes reach his arm and chest.

“ **Female human. Have you seen this man assault me a second ago?** ”, he asked in an ice cold voice.

“Y-yes.”, Cindy squeaked after a longer while.

“ ** _Good_.** ”, he allowed himself to grin menacingly, but his plan to scare the shit out of the aggressor with that was foiled when a hearty slap reached his cheekbone.

The skeleton saw red and his free hand launched forward in one strong punch. There was a loud crack when his fist reached the target and he heard Cindy yelp in fright again behind him. The man in his grip stopped struggling, but his hand squeezed his forearm so hard his fleshy fingers got white from strain.

Edge slowly pulled his hand out of the deep hole he made in the wall right next to the man's pale head. A sudden smell of urine hit his nasal cavity and this only made him scowl more. Without a single word he stepped away from the wall and pulled the man with him. He manhandled him outside of the apartment, not caring that the drunkard was toppling over the mess on the floor. The human had trouble controlling his own legs, so the skeleton half carried him across the hallway and towards the elevator.

There was somebody getting out of the cabin, so as soon as the poor soul jumped away from the furious skeleton, the aggressor was thrown inside before the door even began to close. With a growl Edge hit the “0” button with his fist and moved away one step.

“ **Wish upon a star our paths will _never_ cross again.** ”, he said through his gritted teeth and held the human’s terrified gaze until the elevator door closed and the drunkard disappeared.

Then he turned towards a shuffling sound right next to him and noticed an older human woman nervously trying to pick up her groceries that fell out of the paper bag when she was getting the hell away from the angry skeleton. He glared at her for a moment, which made her flinch away, and looked down at the floor right beside his feet – there was a small can of cat food touching his black boot.

He leaned quickly and with an annoyed huff grabbed the irritating produce from the floor. After quickly checking what the fuck was he holding, he walked towards the old woman who immediately backed away until her back hit the wall.

“ ** _Here_.** ”, he growled loudly at her, the cat food can in his outstretched hand. “ **Take this shit, go hide and _ignore_ someone's suffering like you disgusting humans do.** ”

The woman didn't need to hear that twice. Her wrinkly hand swiftly took the can out of the skeleton's hand and she scurried away from him really fast for a person her age. Edge didn't take his eyelights of her as she quickly opened her apartment's door and disappeared behind them. His soul was still filled with anger he didn't have a chance to spend properly, but at least he didn't hurt that human this time. He would have been proud of himself if he still wasn't feeling a strong urge to hit somebody. After a few angry huffs he needed to make to calm down even a bit, he went back to Cindy's place.

When he stepped into the kitchen and the fragments of a broken plate crunched under his feet, he heard a scared yelp of the terrified woman yet again. He rolled his eyelights at this and sighed loudly.

“ **He's gone.** ”, he blurted and crossed his arms on his chest. “ **You have a pathetic taste in m-** ”

He didn't finish his words, because the woman launched herself at him. If he wasn't so good at controlling himself these days (the hole in the wall excluded), he would have assumed she was attacking him too and reacted accordingly. He managed to refrain from any violent actions when he registered that Cindy wanted to wrap her hands around his lower torso in a scared hug.

“ **UNHAND ME, YOU _WRETCHED SCUM_!** ”, he yelled at her, pissed that she dared to touch him like that.

He quickly tried to pry her off him, but felt her grip was really strong and understood that tearing her away from his body without hurting her in the process might be impossible. She was shaking violently and crying very very loudly. The skeleton moved his hands away from her arms, keeping his own at his shoulders height, not willing to touch her more than it was unavoidable in this situation. He looked around, hoping something in his closest surrounding might give him any idea what to do now, but he found nothing. He was feeling very uncomfortable with Cindy touching his spine like that, but decided to bear with her sudden onslaught of affection for the time being.

“... thank you...”, she mumbled quietly into his shirt that was already cut, torn and wet from tears.

“ ** _Fuck you_.** ”, he answered in a low but still irritated voice.

One hour passed, but the situation hasn't changed. He didn't manage to free himself of her at all, her clutches squeezing his sensitive spine every time he tried to move away even a little, so he decided to call you. There was a small chance that Cindy would choose a soft, fleshy and familiar body over his hard and bony one as a comfort pillow and there was no way he will be waiting for the insufferable woman to calm down on her own.

You arrived half an hour later, to his utter relief. Cindy threw herself at you with an even louder sob and started blabbering between the hiccups about the whole situation in barely comprehensible sentences. Thank the fucking stars, he was right. You were hugging her comfortably and stroking her hair with one hand all the time. There were also some reassuring whispers, but Edge was standing in a safe distance from your disgusting pair, so he didn't understand even a word.

Somehow, you were looking at him during the whole story, your eyes filled with something he didn't see before – almost as if you saw him for the first time. He felt really weird under that gaze, but this wasn't the 'uncomfortable' kind of weird this time. He was still pissed, but your presence made the whole situation unwind slowly and he felt glad he had the idea to call you.

“ **I want to _finish_ my job.** ”, he barked, finally tired of the sappy shit you and your friend were in the middle of. “ **Your fucking ex didn't make it easier for me, so don't complain if I throw your chair out of the window when I see even one fucking sock.** ”

Cindy finally snapped back to the reality and turned her head to look at the scowling skeleton. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was sniffling very loudly. There was also an occasional hiccup now and then, but at least she calmed down significantly. She made a few steps with her hands outstretched towards him as if she wanted to hug him again and he reacted immediately.

“ **DON'T FUCKING EVEN _THINK_ ABOUT IT!** ”, he snapped at her angrily and took a step back.

You put a hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, Cin. Let the edgy edgelord deal with the mess. I texted Damien, he's home already so we will both be there for you.”, you said and gently forced her to turn around towards the still wide open door to this apartment.

He was staring at you as you led your sniveling friend through the door. Just as you were going to leave and turn towards the elevator, you looked over your shoulder, straight at him. With a small smile you mouthed “ _thank you_ ” at the skeleton and then you were gone.

If Edge had any doubts about his behavior during the whole situation that took place in this pitiful apartment, now they were gone. Your two words and that damned smile made him feel like he did the right thing and he was ready to face any judge and jury who would say the opposite. Even if their name was Sans.

He looked around the living room with his hands propped on his hipbones and grimaced. The whole place was a mess and he knew already that it will take him twice the time to fix and clean everything in here. A big part of the day was gone already because of the fucking mess the humans did with their lives, so there was much less he could do before going home.

“ **Shit.** ”, he scoffed and kicked the remains of the broken coffee table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to make an official tumblr blog for our adventures with Edge the Edgelord.  
> Come say hi on [Thunderstruck-Edgelord!](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/)


	8. Lightning in a Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge goes out of his comfort zone to avoid going out of his comfort zone and ultimately ends up outside his comfort zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kudos, comments and asks! It always makes my day to see that you enjoy this fic!
> 
> This chapter is really long, but I wanted to wrap up some things and have some skelebros moments too!

Finishing the job at Cindy's apartment took him over a week. There was a lot more to do than he previously anticipated, but still this was nowhere near to what you managed to do with your loft, so he decided to take it easy and not to overwork himself this time. During this job he was getting home earlier and was less tired (and less pissed off), but he spent most of the spare time on research. He needed to know how to check if some of the human things were beyond saving and how to fix those that weren't. The internet provided all the information he needed, so he taught himself how to fix a broken window and even make it burglar proof, as well as learned what was the best way to clean paint or blood from the walls - he still wasn’t certain what that stuff was. He did some mistakes, of course, but that only made him search for other methods and gain more knowledge.

Papyrus was nothing but supportive with this and answered any and all questions concerning the topics connected to his job. The cheerful skeleton was even eager to lend him some of his tools from the garage and suggested he would help him choose the right ones when he would be able to afford his own. Edge didn't tell him what exactly was he doing, but he never asked about it, focused on being happy to help his 'brother'. The first thing that the aggressive skeleton planned to do with his money was finally paying his part of the rent and bills (until now covered fully by Sans) and maybe finding something nice for Papyrus.

When he finished his work, the apartment looked almost new and his 'employer' couldn't shut up about it for the whole hour while checking every possible corner of the apartment. He endured her annoying blabbering only because of the well deserved praise and the money he was promised to get for all the trouble. This time he thought over his pricing more carefully, but it still was quite high because of all the hard work he had to do with the furniture and walls. Cindy was happy to pay him every dollar though and even threw in a hearty tip. He didn't complain about that - it was her money after all.

You were already in touch with a few other people who saw how different both apartments he cleaned looked like and there was a fair chance he's got even one regular client, if the human interested in that kind of deal turns out to be alright. There was no indication that Cindy’s ex was going to do anything with their previous face off, so he refrained from informing the other skeletons about a possible lawsuit. He heard that Bart even stopped calling or texting her in any way. The things were beginning to look good for him in that matter. He got home with his wallet stuffed with money and his soul filled with satisfaction from the job well done. He was almost smiling.

“EDGE!”, Papyrus welcomed him with glee in his voice. He didn't call him “brother” this time, which indicated that there was at least one more skeleton at home.

He greeted him with a curt nod, though he couldn't get rid of a small smile that crept onto his face. He noticed that Papyrus' behavior towards him got warmer and didn't mind it even a bit. It felt normal to have someone like him around and thanks to him every time he got home he felt... well... home.

“ **Can we talk?** ”, he said while taking off his jacket and fishing his wallet out of the inner pocket. He motioned at him to come into the hallway. “ **It's high time I finally started paying for my stay here.** ”

“OH, BUT YOU'RE OUR GUEST!”, the cheerful skeleton's smile dropped a little, but he took those few steps closer.

“ **Don't give me that s....** ”, he grit his teeth and continued after a sigh. “ **... that. I _know_ Sans is paying for us two, he _told_ me. I'm capable enough to pay for my share now.** ”

“ALRIGHT. IF YOU INSIST...”

“ **I do.** ”, he huffed and stuffed a handful of bills into Papyrus' hand before the other skeleton managed to say anything else. “ **There.** ”

“ **Bro... where did you get so much money...?** ”, the voice of his lazy brother rang from the couch in the living room.

The smaller skeleton with a golden tooth was sitting there the whole time and now he straightened himself enough for both tall skeletons to see his face over the backrest. His bone brows were knit in worry when he was looking suspiciously at Edge's wallet.

Because of his new job he wasn’t particularly often home and when he was… he was otherwise occupied. It seemed to him it was the first time in a week he actually saw his older brother. But that wasn’t anything odd for them, Sans was really busy of late, both with his own job and a new pack of friends. It would made Edge happy that they could finally talk to each other, but the concerned and surprised expression on the smaller skeleton’s face was already slightly irritating for him.

“ **I _worked_ for it.** ”, he scoffed and hid his money back in the pocket before walking away from the clothes hanger. “ **I told you I got a job.** ”

“ **That's... a lot.** ”, he muttered and adjusted himself on the couch to have a better view at his brother.

“ **Yes. My work is hard and I excel executing it.** ”, Edge felt annoyance beginning to fill his soul and he crossed his arms on his chest.

“ **Course ya do, bro.** ”, Sans gave him a reassuring smile, though he almost immediately noticed that it wasn't fully honest. “ **So... _what_ are ya doin' exactly? Freelancing's a pretty vague answer.** ”

Edge didn’t understand where were those questions coming from and got pissed off at that blatant interrogation. He wasn’t a babybones anymore. He wasn’t a babybones for a long long time and while Sans’ concern during their first months on this world’s Surface was perfectly justified, now it was just needless and even belittling.

“ **Cleaning.** ”, he spat immediately, feeling his hands clench on his shirt. He fought valiantly not to blush when he said that one word... and won.

He saw how his brother’s expression shifts from worry to shock and then back to a suspicious frown again. Sans scoffed and clumsily got up from the couch. “ **Ya shittin' me**.”

Before he managed to answer this with a growl, there was an annoyed screech from Papyrus. “RED! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU _FIVE TIMES_ THIS WEEK ALREADY?! THE SWEAR JAR IS OVER THERE!”, the bony hand pointed at the big jar standing on the kitchen counter.

“ **But...** ”, the smaller skeleton tried to protest while pointing both of his hands at Edge.

“NO BUTS, MISTER! ONE DOLLAR! _NOW_!”, the tall skeleton was having none of Sans' feeble attempts to excuse his foul language. He glared sternly while Sans walked with huffs and grumbles to the kitchen.

Edge followed his brother with his gaze and relaxed his hands a little.

“ **Papyrus, what do you know about Lists of... about human bucket lists?** ”, he decided to ask in a low voice, both to occupy himself with a new, less annoying topic and to learn anything about that dumb idea of yours.

“HRM.”, the tall skeleton calmed down immediately and turned to him with a curious glint in his eye sockets. “THOSE ARE HUMAN WAYS TO LEAD A MORE ACTIVE AND EXCITING LIFE. SOME OF MY FRIENDS HAVE THEIR LISTS, BUT THEY RARELY SPEAK ABOUT THEM.”

Sans came back from the kitchen while putting his wallet back into his pants’ pocket. He stopped next to them and crossed his arms in a very meaningful and impatient way.

“ **And what _do_ they say about it?** ”, Edge hooked his thumbs on his belt and faced his counterpart, utterly ignoring the stares he was getting from his older brother.

“IT'S SOME SORT OF A CHALLENGE FOR THEM, I GUESS.”, the skeleton had his hand at his chin already, deep in thought. “THEY CHALLENGE THEMSELVES AND LIFE ITSELF WITH THAT. THEY SOMETIMES DO THAT WITH THEIR FRIENDS TOO. DO YOU HAVE A HUMAN _FRIEND_ WHO HAS A BUCKET LIST, EDGE?”

He almost flinched at his last words, but managed to keep his face straight. “ **I saw one list at my work. It was pretty long and weird. I'm just asking for the sake of asking.** ”, he answered flatly.

“OH. I SEE.”, Papyrus cocked his head and squinted his eyes a little. “THEY OFTEN PUT STRANGE THINGS ON THOSE LISTS, THAT'S TRUE. BUT THE SURFACE IS FILLED WITH VARIOUS ACTIVITIES I'VE NEVER HEARD ABOUT, SO IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WHAT HUMANS PLAN TO DO SOMEDAY. EVEN GET AN IDEA OR TWO, IF IT'S SOMETHING PARTICULARLY COOL OR INTERESTING.”

“ **Did you find any?** ”, the enthusiasm in Papyrus’ voice when he was talking about the human culture was almost contagious and Edge got slightly more interested in your stupid List of Buckets than before.

“YES! I DID.”, the cheerful skeleton clasped his hands with pure glee on his face. “I EVEN TRIED SOME OF THEM. MY ONE FRIEND TRIED TO BE MORE CREATIVE, SO WE DID SOME JEWELRY AND PAINTED ON T-SHIRTS. IT WAS FUN.”

“ **That sounds pretty boring…** ”, Sans got tired of being ignored and chimed in.

“ **Shut up.** ”, Edge growled at him and turned his attention back to Papyrus. He remembered seeing pieces of handmade jewelry in your art room and hearing about this other human made him think that perhaps you were weird, but not that much in comparison to the rest of your kind. “ **What else?** ”

“UM…”, his counterpart cast a quick glance at Sans. “WELL. MY OTHER FRIEND WANTED TO LEARN CPR… THOUGH IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO PRACTICE ON ME. NYEHEH.” , he laughed cheerfully with a slight blush appearing on his cheekbones “BUT THEIR ATTEMPTS WERE COMMENDABLE.”

The smaller skeleton standing next to them groaned loudly and hid his face in his bony hands. “ **Spare us the details, Paps…** ”

Edge rolled his eye lights. “ **So… they’re putting _different_ stuff on those lists? Like… moving somewhere or learning something?** ”

“EXACTLY.”, Papyrus smiled at him. “I RECOMMEND YOU TRY IT. MAYBE NOT MAKING THE WHOLE LIST, BUT… _SOME_ ACTIVITIES MIGHT BE ACTUALLY FUN.”

Oh, he knew. That smiling, cheerful, damned monster knew or at least was really close to guess what was going on with Edge. Was it really this noticeable after one hangout? He was working, he had something to do, it clearly wasn’t just the fact he went out once. Papyrus was encouraging him to go out more and he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to do that or just straight out refuse. It’s not like he had any fun on that stars-awful rehearsal, but at least he felt he did something else than sitting around at home, looking for a job for the hundredth time and avoiding the rest of the skeletons.

Sans lost his patience already. “ **Bro, I wanna talk to ya**.”

Before Edge managed to say anything, a loud farting sound filled the air a few times in a row and he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He hated that sound and hated that it indicated you wrote him a message, but this time he was almost relieved you did. Ignoring the displeased glare Papyrus gave his older brother, he took out his phone to check what did you want this time.

**The Human:** Hey, Edgov Edgeonovsky.  
**The Human:** Heard you finished at Cindy’s.  
**The Human:** Going on a rave tonight.  
**The Human:** Wanna join or you too tired?

He glanced at Sans. He was still staring at him intently, waiting for him to finish his business with the phone and give him his attention. Edge suddenly felt the urge to go out, ride his motorcycle, do anything, but not talk to his older brother. It was a safe bet to say that their conversation would end up in yelling and slamming the door really loudly. He was already feeling this kind of anger surging through his bones. Sans was worried, he knew that… but he didn’t have patience to deal with his questions, concerns and disbelief. He needed to unwind before that, so he decided to text you back.

**Edge Lord:** What's a rave?

“ **I need to go**.”, he said quickly after putting his phone back into his pocket and went back to the hallway to reach for his jacket, thinking that if he doesn’t like whatever you’re planning, he can always leave.

“ **Ya _just_ got home...** ”, Sans shot him a slightly puzzled look and shuffled after him.

“ **I know. But now I got the message to go somewhere else.** ”, he sighed in annoyance and his phone buzzed again. “ **When I'm back home you _will_ tell me how to turn that piece of s... garbage off. It's not funny anymore.** ”

“ **Uh... alright...** ”, he still was looking at him in that weird, worried way. “ **Stay safe...?** ”

“HAVE FUN, EDGE!”, Papyrus said much louder than Sans while waving at him from the living room.

“ **We'll see.** ”, he answered them both and left the house.

* * *

 

He tried not to move while simultaneously thinking how the fuck did you manage to talk him into this. It was almost impossible for him to fathom what kind of sorcery were you using to make him do things he wouldn't even consider doing. Yet there he was, sitting on a chair in your art studio and waiting for you to finish painting something on his very own face with the neon paint.

“There.”, you said with a proud smile and moved away from him. “I never thought I get to paint a sugar skull motif on a real skull. Gotta add it to my list and cross it out straight away.”

“ **Is that stupid rave thing on your list too?** ”, he spat in annoyance and grabbed a broken mirror in an old frame that was lying on the desk beside him.

“Yep. It is.”, you hummed happily and waited for him to take a good look on his face.

You weren't particularly skilled in make up, but the patterns you painted on his head were at least decent. There were many smaller shapes on his forehead and jaw, but most of them were on the top of his skull – there was a lot of space there, as you've said. Without him even telling you to do that, you kept a fair distance away from his eye sockets while painting, marking only big, thin circles around them. You also painted a small human soul (heart) shape on his left cheekbone, which made him frown a little. The colors were very light and it was hard to see some of the smaller details, but you explained to him that the blacklight would make those shine brightly, so he didn't comment on that.

“ ** _What_ are you doing?** ”, he frowned when he saw you began putting the paint on your face on your own, the broken mirror in one hand.

You shot him a quick look before going back to painting something over your right brow. “I want to look cool too, you know?”

He stood up and quickly walked to you to take the brush out of your hand. You let out a loud groan of protest and glanced at him with a pout. He grabbed the other brush the moment he noticed you were reaching for it.

“ _Seriously_ , Edgyanna. I want to paint myself real quick. Damien and Cin are already waiting for us.”, you stood up with a pout on your face and tried to get the brushes back. You did try to jump to reach them too, but your height was no match for the tall skeleton.

“ **Take the pen and write that stupid shit on your list.** ”, he barked at you after your few feeble attempts to take back your painting tools.

“What? Why?”, you stopped immediately and looked up at his face.

You were standing really close to him and he was leering at you angrily, but again, he met with your unfazed stare. This time it didn't puzzle him like it used to, but he growled at you anyways. “ **Isn't it _why_ you make that list? To avoid forgetting ideas for stupid things to do?** ”

“I am _shocked_!”, you gasped and with a dramatic gesture you put both of your hands on your chest. “You actually listen to what I say! _Behold_! Nobody is safe now! Anything you say _can and will_ be held against you!”

“ **You done?** ”, he spat.

“Yeah, I think I am.”, you chuckled happily and, to his utter surprise, did what he told you to do. After a few seconds, the list had one more item written in your gibberish language and you turned to him with your hand outstretched towards the brushes he was still detaining.

“ **No.** ”, he said and looked at the list again. There were already a lot more things crossed out and he was a little astonished that you managed to do all that in a week.

“Edgeeeee~! I _can't_ use the big ones!”, you whined and tried to catch him by the wrist.

He was too fast for you, of course, but you tried to chase your tools anyways. Even now, you didn't act like that annoying friend of yours and never tried to touch his body except for his hands and forearms, which made your quest far more difficult. It was almost amusing to watch you run after the brushes, to be honest, although that wasn't what the skeleton had in mind.

“ **Would you fucking sit down already and let me do that?** ”, he huffed with annoyance.

You stopped immediately. Frozen in the middle of a really weird pose, to be exact. “Wait... what?”

“ **Sit. The fuck. Down.** ”, he growled and pointed at the chair he was previously occupying.

And again he saw you smile in that weird way, when you finally understood what was he talking about. You sat down in a second, though you weren't motionless at all, giddily tapping your knees with your hands.

“Honestly, I didn't ask you cause I thought you don't wanna do that.”, you say in an excited tone while he leans over the prepared neon paints.

“ **You smeared this stuff on _my_ face so it's only fair if I do the same to you.** ”, he sighed and finally chose what to use first. When he turned to you, you were still grinning like crazy.

“Ooooh. Okay, that sounds about right. But please don't paint any dicks.”, the skeleton was almost touching your face with the thinnest brush, but you suddenly jerked back. “NO DICKS!”

He grit his teeth. “ **IF YOU DON'T STOP MOVING, I WILL PAINT _ONLY_ DICKS, YOU STUPID HUMAN!** ”

“Okay, okay.”, you said in a placatory tone and straightened yourself.

You managed to sit still for most of the time. There was a moment when you asked him to stop, because he was tickling your nose with the tip of the brush, so he gave you a minute to calm down your giggles and scratch the itchy spot with the wooden end of the brush – you were careful not to destroy his work. It was the first time he did something like that, so he wasn't used to either the weird tools or the way your skin was behaving, but it looked quite well. When he was finishing putting the neon makeup on your face, he decided to paint a small upturned heart on your right cheek, almost like you did to him. An eye for an eye.

Without a word, he gave you the broken mirror so you could see the masterpiece he created on your fleshy face. Your expression turned into an honest awe a second later which made him puff his chest proudly even more. He put the brushes into a jar filled with water and began a very tedious task of cleaning the paint from between his phalanges.

“Aw! You painted a matching symbol? I didn’t peg you for a cute kind, Edgentina.”, you pointed your finger at the shape on your right cheek, your gaze still fixed on your reflection. The simple symbol he painted had a lot of free space around it, so it really stood out.

He looked up from his hands and squinted his eyes a little. “ **I did that only because you painted a human soul symbol on me.** ”, Edge rolled his eyes and threw the rag aggressively on the desk. “ **It's only fair I mark you like that too, so you have a _monster_ one.** ”

“Oh, shit.”, you were staring at him for a second with your mouth slightly open. “Oh, fuck. I didn't know it's offensive. I'm _so_ sorry!”

“ **Give me a break.** ”, he shook his head. “ **It's not a dick, if that's what you're worried about. Though it's fucking weird to see all that soul shaped shit you have in shops every February.** ”

“Alright...”, his words did calm you down, but he noticed that you were biting your lower lip while looking at his face. “You know… I can still wash it off and paint something else…”

“ **It's _fine_. You were whining we will be late ten minutes ago. Let's just go.** ”, he waved his hand at you dismissively and walked towards the front door to your loft. He heard you shuffle silently behind him and he decided to add with a grumble, “ **But don't you fucking _dare_ even mention Ed now.** ”

You chuckled at that and caught up with him, a wide smile back on your face.

Fortunately, you listened to him and the topic of the ‘dead’ skeleton wasn’t brought up during the walk to the club - it was close enough for a short stroll. The music was audible even from a few blocks away and it wasn’t particularly near Edge’s tastes, but he saw you get more and more excited with every step. The closer you both got to the club’s entrance, the more people were on the street, walking the same way, even painted with similar colors you used. The skeleton’s keen eye realized that many club goers were dressed white or had at least a white t-shirt on them. He did even notice one guy wearing a jumpsuit with white bones printed on the respective places, so he resembled a poor copy of a walking skeleton. He scoffed at this sorry imitation, of course.

“Finally!”, Damien’s voice was loud enough to be heard over the rumbling of the club’s music. “We were going to enter without you.”

Edge looked at the tall human and squinted his eye sockets a little. There was much less hostility in his demeanor this time and he figured that Cindy probably told him about the incident with her ex. Not that he cared about that in any way, but it was much less tiring for him when he didn’t have to waste his energy on bitchy remarks and annoying banter. Speaking of the female human…

“EDGY~!”, Cindy, dressed all in white, with her face covered with flowery patterns, called to him and abandoned a few girls she was talking to.

She rushed towards the group, aiming directly at him and he almost immediately recognized what she was planning to do. He braced himself and grabbed her by the shoulder before she managed to tackle him and embrace his torso with her short arms. He still couldn’t fully shake off the feeling of her squishy hands groping his spine and sure as hell he wasn’t going to let her touch it ever again.

“ **STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME, YOU PATHETIC CREATURE!** ”, he yelled at her, his voice really loud both because of his anger and the booming club music filling the small alley they were gathered in.

“Seriously, dude!”, Damien was back to his hostile attitude. “ _Drop_ the tough guy act, it’s off-putting!”

“ **GOOD!** ”, Edge barked at Damien who tried to stand tall under the skeleton’s furious gaze.

“Guys, guys! I have neon bracelets!”, somehow you managed to squeeze between the two angry males, a bunch of neon plastic sticks in your hands, and that was enough for both of them to at least step away before dust and blood spilled on the dirty pavement.

You were acting as if you didn’t notice the whole situation, already talking cheerfully to Damien and putting vibrant blue bracelets on both of his wrists. Then you handed Cindy two green ones and quickly turned to the skeleton. You had your own already on, the color surprisingly fitting both your overall demeanor and the neon makeup.

“I think red would suit you best!”, you raised your voice and reached towards him with two glary bracelets.

You didn’t even try clasping them on his wrists until he nodded approvingly, which he did, knowing you would have it your way anyways. Besides it was better to focus on your weird shenanigans than to dwell on Damien’s attitude. There were too many people around for that - mostly humans, but also some monsters.

“Come on!”, you yelled at the rest of the group, forcing Damien to take care of Cindy’s bracelets much faster.

When the skeleton entered the club, he was hit with a weave of heat, music and smell of paint and sweat. There were many people inside, most of them still keeping to the bar and the walls, though some were already bouncing on the dance floor to the rhythm of the obnoxiously loud music that he felt thrumming even in his bones. It was dark, but at the same time, it wasn’t. You vaguely explained him how does the blacklight work, but he wasn’t quite ready for the weird feeling that overwhelmed him when he was looking at the brilliant white clothes and vivid makeup seemingly hanging in the air. He looked at his own hands, noticing that his bones glow in this light too, so was his own white t-shirt he was wearing under the jacket.

“Cool, huh?!”, you appeared next to him. You had to yell for him to hear you.

He did recognize you right away, though the makeup on your face was glowing and the rest of your features disappeared. There was still this familiar way the painted circles around your eyes and cheeks moved when you smiled… and your teeth were glowing. This was bizarre.

“Let’s go and dance before more people come!”, you needed to be very close to him so the music didn’t drown out what you were saying.

“ **What?! No way!** ”, he answered with a deep frown.

Your unhappy groan disappeared in the cacophony of the next song overlapping the current one and you quickly turned towards Damien and Cindy, probably to ask the same. This made him feel more uncomfortable than he already was. He was very tall and intimidating, so most of the club goers avoided being in the close proximity of him and the group, but that didn’t mean he would feel fine standing here, next to the wall, while you will go there, to the dance floor.

Before you managed to get the answers from your human friends, he grabbed your wrist, but quickly withdrew his hand. That was such a stupid gesture he scolded himself for that, but at least it brought back your full attention to him. You leaned towards him.

“ **FINE!** ”, he growled loud enough even for Damien and Cindy to hear.

Your teeth were visible again, glowing brightly in the blacklight and without any more yelling he followed you to the dance floor. The music was much louder here and he already felt really tired. It was… overwhelming. It had been a very long time since he was even near this many people and the music was booming right through his bones and the colors around were vibrant, moving in the same rhythm. He didn’t understand what everybody here saw in this kind of entertainment.

Then he looked at you, happily bouncing along with the music, the colorful patterns on your face glowing in the dark, your fingernails shining slightly too (perhaps from the unwashed paint) and he almost grasped the ‘why’ of this stupid idea. You were looking at him, smiling from time to time, standing in a small distance that simultaneously allowed you to dance freely without touching him in any way. There were others around, Damien keeping close to both you and your female friend, and Cindy… who was too close to him for his tastes. He tried to ignore her though and looking at you was a pretty good way to do that.

The dance floor got suddenly very crowded and you were pushed straight at him by some guys that were rushing towards the DJ’s booth. The skeleton grabbed you quickly and was ready to glare and yell something at the clumsy humans, but he felt you squeezing his arm. Looking down at you he noticed you were still smiling, giddily jumping to the music as if nothing happened. Your body was warm and soft, and that somehow reminded him of the last time he was touching you like that, during the thunderstorm those two weeks ago.

He quickly let you go so you could move away from him, tough the crowd made it impossible to dance without bumping on each other. Or at least, other people were bouncing off him, because he was still as a wall in the middle of the ocean of moving, glowing bodies. You still were trying to keep your distance, but it proved really hard to accomplish.

Two songs have passed and he had enough for the rest of his life, though when asked, he could always say he tried to understand the appeal of a rave. He was ready to step out of the dance floor and maybe even exit the club altogether - he knew the way out and was planning to do that the moment he felt like leaving.

Before he managed to make even a single step towards the door, a white flashing light filled the whole club for a split second. He froze mid step, feeling his soul stop for a moment, waiting for the familiar growl of the thunder, but the music was the only thing he heard. The blinding flash appeared again, forcing him to close his eye sockets shut for a moment and his bones began to rattle . He felt his magic rush through his bones in response to his sudden fear. The bodies bumping at him made him feel imprisoned in the middle of hell, the white light blinking rapidly somehow got through his closed eye sockets. He was still waiting to hear the thunder, but it never came and it drove him crazy.

He decided he should try and run from the flaring light, but he stumbled after a few steps, still keeping his eyes closed. The bodies were bouncing off him, someone yelled, his mind was reeling in panic. Suddenly he felt something grab his wrist and pull him somewhere. At first he wanted to free himself from that, but soft fingers intertwined with his own and he gave in, allowing the strange force to drag him through the dancing bodies.

For his panicking mind, this seemed like hours, though he knew the whole ordeal lasted a few seconds at most. He stumbled a few times, then he felt a wave of fresh air hit his face and that made him finally open his eye sockets. The first thing he noticed were two hands, a skeletal one and a human one, holding tight. His gaze went up, towards the rest of the body that the human hand was attached to and he saw the back of your head. It was you, dragging him away from the rave and from the weird light.

“Are you alright?”, you looked at him over your shoulder, but didn’t stop, leading him along the alley and then around the corner.

He managed to nod a few times only when he was finally far away from the club, leaning on the dirty wall. His breath, as well as his magic surging through his bones, was slowly getting calmer. There was no storm around, he finally concluded when his mind was calm enough to understand what had happened. There was no wind, no rain, even no clouds in the sky. The horrible light was probably coming from something in the club, like the flash lamp in a camera or something.

“I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t even think about the stroboscope.”, you sighed.

He noticed you were still holding his hand, so he sharply jerked it towards him and growled lowly “ **I’m fine.** ”

Edge grit his teeth and looked away from you, trying to ignore the warmth he was feeling between his phalanges. He was still agitated but also tired and that made him feel angry at… everything at that moment. You did drag him out of there, so he tried really hard not to take this out on you.

“Cool.”, you said in a calm tone. “I’d better text them we went outside for a break. Damien worries too much sometimes, like a mother hen.”

After a few minutes he turned his head slowly towards you. You were done with texting and just stared at him. He didn’t find any pity in your eyes, though you were still clearly worried. Or feeling guilty?

“Thinking about it, this was a pretty shitty idea. I read the rave was today and thought that it would be cool to invite you. You know… so you could hang out with us. Cindy couldn’t shut up about you and well…”, you shrugged and looked at the trash laying next to your shoes. “Should have figured it wasn’t your kind of-”

“ **I said I’m fine.** ”, he interrupted you grumbling in a low voice and pushed away from the wall. “ **I’m going home.** ”

“Oh… alright.”, you were smiling again, but your voice seemed a little down. “Well... text you later?”

“ **Yes. I believe so.** ”, he answered slowly, eyeing you with a frown.

“Thanks for coming anyways. It was fun.”, you said cheerfully, but this time he didn’t like what he saw in your smile.

You shouldn’t have to smile like that. The situation was getting awkward for him and he was at loss of what to say to make you feel less guilty. He didn’t blame you, he was blaming himself. Who the fuck is scared of a stupid lamp anyways?

“ **It wasn’t awful.** ”, he growled and turned to start walking away from you.

He heard you call “Bye, Edge!” to his back, but he didn’t turn around to look at you. He had enough for that day and the only thing occupying his mind was getting home, washing all that neon shit from his skull and going to bed. And that was exactly and only what he planned to do.

When he got home it was really late. Or maybe it was early already? He didn’t even bother to check the clock when he tried to shuffle quietly from the hallway towards the bathroom. The last thing he needed was attention from any other skeleton and questions concerning him coming home at this hour and being covered in a sticky paint. He really needed to get rid of that stuff.

Good thing was they all were obligated to their own laundry, so the paint stains on his t-shirt will be seen only by him. His tired mind suggested that he should take care of his jacket, probably also covered with the paint because of all the people that bumped into him, but that was a problem for later.

He prepped his hands on the edges of the sink and leaned over it with a deep sigh. The water was running quietly when he reached for the towel to make it wet and help him get rid of the paint that would be probably pesky to wash off from the uneven bone. Before touching his face with it, he looked at the reflection in the mirror that was hanging in front of him and noticed the heart shape on his cheekbone.

He scoffed silently, but there was a small smirk on his face right now. You were one weird human, but at least he was sure you didn’t mean anything bad when being your bizarre self. He dropped the wet towel and reached to the pants pocket to find his phone. There were a few messages from his brother, so he quickly read them to check if he didn’t worry Sans with his silence, but there were only some obnoxious puns. He ignored them and proceeded to type you a message.

**Edge Lord:** What else is on your stupid list?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! Dudettes! My beautiful Readers! I've made a separate fic with the List of Buckets only, so you can comment there and write any ideas your beautiful imagination gives you!
> 
> [The List of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641)  
> I will probably make a few polls along the way so you can choose which items will be fulfilled in a chapter and which ones will be only shortly described ( I don't plan on writing a chapter for every single one of them!) How does that sound? 
> 
> Remember, there's a tumblr blog for this fic - [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/)


	9. Shitstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's only so much our angry skeleton can take before losing his temper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your asks, comments, kudos and patience! I had to take care of some other projects, but I'm back. This chapter is a short one, but I have a few longer ones in progress.
> 
> Cheers, my beautiful readers!

He was at your place. Again.  
Looking at your stupid List of Buckets. Again.  
Pissed off. **Again**.

World seemed to be weird when you were in his close proximity… or it was just the fact, that you were always in the middle of something silly or bizarre and he was just in there for a ride from time to time. He got somewhat used to you and your weirdness already, so this time it wasn’t you or your behavior what made him angry. It was, unsurprisingly, another human.

Fortunately, you were faster to catch on what that guy _really_ meant when he talked about paying for the skeleton’s cleaning services, so the whole meeting didn’t end up with violence. The whole thing dawned on Edge as soon as you locked the door behind the obnoxious human, but it was too late for him to yell anything. He could only clench his jaw really tightly and try not to take his anger out on you.

And here you were now, with a pissed off skeleton standing in the middle of your art studio, his arms crossed on his chest and his foot tapping angrily at the floor. You seemed not to notice his anger, but Edge somehow knew you ignored it for purpose while searching through your stuff on the shelves.

“So… I thought a little about the List of Buckets…”, you said while picking up a red pen and some clean piece of paper stuck under the typewriter. He noticed how amused you sounded while saying this silly name. “... and if you wanna I can share mine with you. But those are things I wanna do, not you, right?”

“ **And what of it? It’s just a _stupid_ list.** ”, he scoffed and crossed his arms while looking curiously at your actions. His irritation was dissipating very slowly.

“Yeah. But those are my _stupid_ things on my  _stupid_ list. You need your own _stupid_ list, with your own _stupid_ things to do.”, you had too much fun repeating this word over and over the same way he said it.

“ **You’re mocking me again.** ”, he sneered, still feeling his magic boil in his bones from anger.

“Noooo, Edgynsky. I told you, that’s how humans mate.”, you winked at him and handed him a pen and a piece of paper.

“ **This isn’t funny, you know?** ”, he grit his teeth and ripped the offered items from your hands with a sharp gesture.

You frowned a little but then your eyes widened a little. “Oh, right. Sorry. Too soon, I guess. Alright, change of the subject!”

You spun around on your slippery socks and quickly walked back towards the desk. The list hanging on the wall was almost half full and many of the items were already crossed out. Your finger pointed at the top of… did you really write “ _The List Of Buckets_ ” there?

“You wanted to do things from my list, right?”, you tapped your finger on the paper. “So let’s get down to business.”

Edge walked closer to you and squinted his eye sockets a little while looking at the list. The language you used was still pure gibberish for him, so he turned his gaze at you with an annoyed expectancy on his face.

“I wanted to move to Ebott and meet some monsters.”, you translated with a smile. “And I did, a while ago. I don’t think that the monster stuff on my list would be relevant for you, cause you probably already did all of them…”

“ **You don’t say.** ”, he barked at you, but that didn’t change your demeanor even in the slightest.

“I have an idea!”, you clapped your hands a few times in a very excited manner and he already knew the idea you had won’t be so thrilling for him. “I do my monster stuff and you do the human equivalent.”

He eyed the list with a frown. “ **What _utter_ nonsense have you put on your list? I won’t agree to something disgusting or…** ”

“Aw, come on, Eggy! This is just a list, not a _blood pact_.”, you pat your hand on the list a few times. “You don’t have to do these things, those are just ideas, suggestions, you know? You’re supposed to have _fun_ and experience something new with this, not force yourself through something unpleasant.”

Edge stared at you for a longer while, searching if there was something odd or suspicious in the way you were looking back at him, but he couldn't find anything. He was still cautious around you, knowing that agreeing to anything that was concerning you can come back and bite him on the coccyx. You never really gave him a reason to truly regret things he said or did around you, though he already lost count of how many times he rolled his eyes or groaned because of the situation he got himself into.

“ **Alright…** ”, he said slowly and leaned over the desk to put down the piece of paper he was still holding and get the pen ready to write.

“Cool! So you’ve already moved to Ebott.”, you motioned at him to write that down.

He huffed, but there wasn’t really anything else for him to do for a few hours anyways. He started writing. “ **And met the humans.** ”

“Ohhhh no no. You didn’t meet them _properly_.”, you wagged your finger disapprovingly at him and that made him frown.

**“What? What are you talking about, I know plenty of humans. Even by name.** ”, he felt the last sentence was absolutely redundant but said it anyways.

“Come on.”, you moved away from the desk and straightened yourself while reaching out to him with your hand. “ _Properly._ ”

It took him a second to understand what you had on your mind and he was already opening his mouth to say something against it but… you were smiling. Again.

“ **FINE.** ”, he growled and your smile got wider, as it always did when he said that.

Edge grabbed your hand and felt the warmth of your fingers on his bare bones again. He still wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel when there was something warm and alive but not filled with magic that was touching him. Your fingers squeezed his phalanges tighter and you proceeded to shake his hand.

“Hello. I’m _____. And you?”, you said with an overly profuse tone that made him scoff.

**“Edge.** ”, he coughed up after a while. This was so fucking stupid and embarrassing.

“Aaaaand?”, you encouraged him with a gesture of your free hand.

“ **It’s… nice to meet you, ____.** ”, he looked away while spitting out those words.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Edge.”, you exclaimed happily and finally let his hand go. “It wasn’t that hard, was it now?”

“ **You just wanted me to say your name, _human_.** ”, he blurted out while wiping out his hand on his pants, trying to get rid of the warm feeling your fingers left on his bones.

“Well, _duh_!”, you giggled and looked back at your list. “You can add ‘make friends with a human’ too.”

He didn’t say anything, knowing perfectly well what that victorious smile of yours meant this time. He wasn’t falling for that. He wrote down all three items and crossed them out.

“Damn, your handwriting is so neat…”, you said in a fascinated tone, leaning very close to him and looking at his list.

“ **Of course it is. I have standards.** ”, he rolled his eyes and looked back at you. “ **What else?** ”

You pulled the chair closer to the wall and sat on in before proceeding with the list. There were some monster related things you wanted to do, but he had no idea how you wanted to actually meet the Human Ambassador. Even he didn’t have a proper chance to do so… though it was probably because he was avoiding them half of the time they were visiting Sans and Papyrus. The other half was when the skeleton brothers kept the small human away from him on purpose. He was angry at the fact he was trapped in a foreign world then. He still is sometimes.

“ **A tattoo?** ”, he cocked his head a little when you read another item out loud. “ **You mean those marks on your forearms, right?** ” He pointed his finger at you.

“Oh, yeah!”, you rolled up both your sleeves and laid your hands on the desk so he could get a better look at the marks on your skin. “Got them done before I moved.”

There were two of them, one on either of your forearms. Both looked like some sort of white flower he sometimes saw in the shops or on the movies, but didn’t really pay enough attention to know what are they called. There was a difference between them though - under the one that was tattooed on your right arm there was also a date. For whatever the reason, you decided to permanently write the date from before a few months on your skin. He mulled over asking you about it, but decided it’s better not to. If you wanted to tell him, you would anyways.

Edge looked at those for a longer while, but resisted the urge to touch it and check if it was really permanent. He knew how tattoos worked in general, but the idea of marking his bones in any way wasn’t specially appealing for him. He had his scars and those were more than enough for him.

“ **I’ll pass on that one.** ”, he said.

“See, _now_ you’re getting it. It’s just a suggestion, not a competition.”, you smiled at him and looked away while covering the tattoos with the long sleeves.

You managed to go over a few more items from your list, for some reason choosing to translate some and drop other ones, which annoyed him a little. He didn’t say anything this time and wrote those items that sounded interesting to him down. When you were about to get to something more complicated, your telephone rang and you had to answer it.

Edge stayed in the art studio, while you went to the kitchen with a telephone stuck between your shoulder and your ear to look for something your caller wanted. The skeleton was staring at the piece of paper with list of weird things to do on the Surface and wondered how did it all happen. If somebody told him a month ago that a human would be his friend and he would be planning to do weird things from a list, he would at best laugh at that person. And try to kill them for the insult at worst. There was something about you, about the way you smiled and laughed that made him… weak? No. He wasn’t weak.

He shook his head slightly and wrote “A Stupid List” on the top of his piece of paper before folding it in four. He was the Great and Terrible Papyrus and the only reason you would make him feel that way is because there was something he respected in you. Perhaps the fact that you absolutely didn’t care about his intimidating looks and behavior. It was something admirable in this, especially when he knew that it worked on most of the monsters and humans. You were crazy and brave at the same time.

He left the art studio while stuffing his list into his pocket and at the same time you finished your call. It turned out you had places to be and he began to understood why you didn’t have time to clean up your loft before. You were out a lot.

* * *

 

He went back home for the time being. The meeting with the new client turned up to be a flop so there wasn’t anything in particular he could do for the rest of the day. He didn’t feel like going out on his own or even taking his motorcycle for a ride. It’s not like he was angry anyways - time spent on translating your stupid list calmed him down enough. He still felt irritation hiding deep in his soul, but that was something he was used to.

There was nothing to do at home too, his laundry clean and dry already (he managed to destroy all the evidence of his participation in the rave before anybody could notice), his room clean and even his lamp fixed. He decided he could kill time by looking up some other things humans tend to write on their bucket lists or check what some phrases you were mentioning meant. His curiosity was particularly piqued by the character you called the Ghost Rider when he found out it was a skeleton in a leather jacket riding a motorcycle. His reading was interrupted by familiar farting sound coming from his phone.

**The Human:** Edge Edgeson, you free?  
**The Human:** We have a rehearsal again.  
**The Human:** Wanna come?

He frowned a little and leaned back in his chair to process this for a while. There was a moment during your List of Buckets translation where you encouraged him to try and join your band, but he didn’t really say whether he’s interested in this or not. There was a chance this was your another attempt to try and coax him into this. He knew how to play some instruments and had an ear for music, though he never really thought about making music with somebody. The only person that shared this particular interest with him was his Undyne and she was… well… gone. Forever unreachable.

And there was the issue of the other humans in your band. He was certain only you and that annoying woman would even consider having him with you. But that wasn’t his problem, was it? He didn’t care if he gets to play anywhere and with anyone. It was just another thing he could do to kill time between jobs. Additionally there was something satisfying in annoying the shit out of Damien.

**Edge Lord** : On my way.

He wrote you quickly and went out of his room to get his jacket and leave. He did have to stop in his room’s doorstep though, almost bumping into his lazy brother, who was standing there for some reason.

“ **Oh, uh… ya leavin’ somewhere, bro?** ”, Sans made a quick step back to make room for the taller skeleton.

“ **Yes.** ”, he answered in a cautious tone and closed the door behind him.

**“I will take just a minute, kay?** ”, the smaller skeleton stuffed his hands into his pant’s pockets. “ **See, I’ve been talkin’ to some of my buddies at work and well… I found you a job there. I mean… not there in particular, but a pal of mine has a friend who…** ”

“ **Enough.** ”, Edge raised his hand and interrupted him when he realized what he was hearing. “ **I don’t need your help, Sans. I have a job already and I’m doing fine.** ”

“ **Yeah, I know. But this one’s safer, so you don’t have to worry ‘bout anythin’.** ”, he shrugged with a wide grin plastered on his face. It wasn’t sincere at all.

Edge grit his teeth and took a deep breath before answering. He can’t lose his temper over this, not now. “ **I said… I’m doing fine. Cleaning isn’t a particularly dangerous job.** ”

This time it was the smaller brother who flipped out quickly, anger and disappointment clearly visible in the way his eye lights flared red.

“ **Bro. Stop shitting me, for fuck’s sake. Ya can’t be cleanin’ people’s houses. I’m not that stupid to believe that!** ”, Sans barked at him, his voice rising with every word.

Edge scowled, but tried to remain calm. “ **That is exactly what I do. I told you three times already. I clean.** ”

The small skeleton threw his arms into the air and then pressed them to the sides of his skull. “ **STOP! Geez! I know you wanna keep secrets from me for _some_ reason. I got’cha! I really do! But… just… not like that!** ”

“ **So what do _you_ want me to do, Sans?** ”, he shook his head disapprovingly. Why didn’t he believe him? Why was it so hard to grasp he was doing just that?

“ **Don’t lie! Just… say you don’t wanna talk ‘bout it, like before! Be vague as fuck! Lie to Papyrus, if ya really need to! But don’t lie to me!** ”, Sans shouted, his hands gesturing wildly.

“ **I’m not lying!** ”, Edge finally had enough, responding with a low growl. “ **You’re both my brothers, and I promised you, I would never lie to you about something important! Why can’t you accept that this is the truth!?** ”

There was silence after his words rang in the air. Sans was looking at him as if he just struck him with his fist or his magic, his eye sockets wide and slightly glistening in the corners. The taller skeleton frowned when he noticed that, but didn’t understand what just happened. What did he do this time? What did he say?

“ **Wh-... since _when_ he is your brother now?** ”, the skeleton with a golden tooth blurted out.

“ **Oh, please!** ”, Edge breathed with exasperation. “ **Like he isn’t like one to you after all this time.** ”

It was so obvious to him. Papyrus was so protective and caring, there was no fucking way his brother didn’t fall for that after the shit they went through in their Underground. It was reassuring to have somebody like this in his life, to have somebody take care of his lazy brother and him. Somebody strong, somebody cheerful, somebody who believed in them whether it was looking for a job or just plain trying to get out of the bed when everything felt like shit...

“ **N-no… he isn’t. _He isn’t_!** ”, Sans bawled and covered one of his eye sockets with the back of his hand. “ **It’s… it’s been always me and you, _Pap_ … why…? Why would you choose him over me…?**”

He was speechless for a longer while, just watching his older brother break down for no particular reason in the middle of the hallway. What the fuck did just happen?

“ **I…** ”, his voice was shaking a little and for some reason, this made him furious. He was first accused of lying and then this. He didn’t deserve that. He did what they wanted him to do. He didn’t deserve any of that. “ **I DIDN’T CHOOSE ANYBODY, YOU STUPID PIECE OF-** ”

He went immediately silent when he heard the lock in the front door being opened and familiar voices entering the house. Their counterparts came home already and were deep in their conversation that sounded a lot like puns and half sincere groaning. There was a sound of paws hitting the stairs when their dog ran upstairs to greet the other two skeletons. The ugly mutt stopped in his tracks when it met Edge’s angry glare and ran back to the living room with a whine.

The taller skeleton clenched his teeth, furiously looking at his older brother who was obviously trying to hide the fact that he was on the verge of crying. Their argument went too far this time. Way too far.

“ **I’m going out.** ”, the tall skeleton finally barked at him and quickly went downstairs, almost bumping into the ‘real’ Sans who just appeared in the middle of his way.

“heya, bud-... uh...”, the blue clad skeleton started, but Edge was already in the living room.

“ **Wh-where are you going?!** ”, his older brother leaned over the railing near the stairs, his eye sockets wide.

He stopped, knowing perfectly well that Papyrus was looking at him from the kitchen. After a few deep breaths he turned around.

“ **I. Don’t want. To talk. About it.** ”, he spat in an ice cold voice while staring straight into his brother’s frightened eye sockets. “ **Happy?** ”

The whole house went dead silent after this and Edge decided it’s a perfect moment to just leave and clear his head outside. He grabbed his jacket quickly and slammed the door behind him with a satisfying loud bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.


	10. Under a Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not only our beloved edgelord has more to him that meets the eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos, comments, bookmarks and subscriptions! You're wonderful, my beautiful Readers!
> 
> The song used here is this one - [An Ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMSLYwHNMBc). I know it's really gentle and somewhat out of character, but for me it has a lot of emotions and urges our skeleton cactus to be in control of his anger.
> 
> The picture was made by my wonderful one and only sis - [Reunaa](https://reunaa.deviantart.com/)
> 
> Hope you like it!

 

He almost didn’t go to the rehearsal, feeling the anger surging through his bones, his magic pounding in his soul and begging for a violent release. He didn’t understand why this fucked up situation even happened. He tried, he really tried to do what they were expecting him to do. He stopped sitting at home and avoiding people, he found a job, a legal job that actually pays for the bills, he spent more time with Papyrus, he was… more alive than ever. But it still wasn’t enough.

It felt as if he was back in his Underground, where Sans still treated him like a helpless babybones and Undyne didn’t want him to join the Royal Guard because he wasn’t enough. Because despite all his efforts, there was something missing in him, he wasn’t complete, he was… broken. He felt broken right now, because when he did his best, the only thing he gained were tear filled eyes of his precious, stupid, beloved, good for nothing older brother.

He kicked a trashcan on his way, sending it flying across the street and crashing it on the wall in front of him. He was panting heavily, his hands were clenched into tight fists, his teeth were grit so hard his jaw hurt. Edge was almost sure his eyes were shining in the deepest red possible because of his magic waiting close to the surface, ready to be used, to fight, to destroy, **to kill** , to…

The tall skeleton closed his eyes and covered his face with his gloved hands. It’s been a while since he lost his temper like that, he didn’t want to repeat that. He was better than this, he had to take control like he always did in the past. He won’t let his stupid emotions take the better of him, not now, not ever.

He dug his sharp phalanges into the bone on his skull and felt that one of his fingers caught on the edge of the deepest scar over his left eye socket. It hurt a little so he stopped, but that short sharp pain grounded him and allowed him to see past his rage. He noticed he was standing in the middle of the street not far from your loft and the building your lot always held rehearsals in. Fortunately there was not a soul in sight, so probably no one saw him acting like a lunatic a second ago.

After a few deep and calming breaths he lowered his hands and hid them in his jacket’s pockets. He felt a piece of folded paper in the left one and pulled it out, for a second not recognizing what it was. His red gaze slowly turned to white when he read the first lines of his bucket list - already crossed out items and a few things he didn’t have a chance to do yet. His thoughts immediately wandered towards you and he remembered why he even was outside in the first place. The rehearsal.

He stuffed the paper back into his pocket and turned towards the big abandoned building. It didn’t take long and he was already climbing up the stairs, absolutely ignoring the fact that the elevator was down there as if waiting for him. The higher he got, the louder the music was and the deeper he hid his previous anger. It was still there though, he was never able to bury it deep enough.

“Edgy!”, Cindy was the first one to notice him in the doorway to the room your band was occupying.

He did grimace a little at that, but was glad she was too busy with playing to actually try and greet him with her disgusting physical contact. The skeleton glared at the rest of the group and defiantly walked towards the abandoned bench to sit in the middle of it and spread his legs wide. The message was meant to be obvious - no one is sitting next to him today.

He arrived at the beginning of one of your longer songs, so it took time for the band to finish it properly. Seeing how distracted the rest of the group got when the skeleton arrived, Damien decided it was better to have a break right now and everybody else agreed.

“You came!”, again it was Cindy who almost teleported next to him, but didn’t dare to sit on the bench. “What do you think? I practiced at home to make my solo sound better! Is it better?”

Edge groaned and looked away from the overexcited female. “ **I don’t give a fuck.** ”

“Thank you for your _irreplaceable_ and helpful input, Edge.”, you said from your spot.

“I told you, this is a bad idea.”, Damien grumbled at you, but you answered only with a huge grin on your face.

“Oh, come on! We’re all here, we can at least _talk_ about it.”, you put the microphone back on its stand and bounced happily towards the skeleton and Cindy.

“ **Talk about what…?** ”, Edge eyed you suspiciously as you blatantly sat down right next to him, nudging his leg with your knee to make him to move a little. He didn’t.

"I~”, you sing-sang with excitement while leaning closer to him. “ ~told Damien that you could join us. Our band. We wanted to hold auditions and all that, but you could try too!”

“W-we don’t even ha-have a na-name…”, Toby, who stayed hidden behind his drumset, mumbled quietly.

“Details!”, Cindy waved at him dismissively and walked to you to put her hand on your shoulder. “I would _love_ to hear how you play… uh… anything, Edgy!”

“Slow down, people.”, Damien prepped his hands on his hips and gave the skeleton a very displeased glare. “We _will_ hold auditions, that’s true. But this is not a competition of who plays better. If we mean it for the band to be an actual band, we need to be a team.”

Edge crossed his arms and glared back with a frown. “ **And I’m not a team player, am I?** ”

“ _You_ said that.”, the man raised his brow a little. “Even if you play every instrument like a master, I can’t allow you to join if there won’t be a majority of votes in favor.”

“You have my vote!”, unsurprisingly it was Cindy who yelled this and it made both Edge and Damien cringe a little.

She was really loud again. Ever since the incident with her ex-boyfriend, she seemed to be all over him, trying to gain his attention with every stupid little topic possible, almost smothering him with this. Her sole behavior wasn’t what irked him, though. He was used to meeting people who for whatever reason adored him when he was in his Underground. He knew he was strong and cool back then, so it only bolstered up his self-esteem. But this…? Cindy’s taste in men was very poor and her attraction made him wonder if he was similar to that man of hers.

He did have a temper and was prone to violence, for starters. For a short while he thought he was better than Bart, but the longer her advances lasted, the more he thought about it.

“ **Whatever.** ”, he grumbled and looked away from her again.

“Well. You don’t have my vote, Edgonov from the house of Edginess.”, your words made him turn his head quickly and look at you with a scowl. “You’re my friend so that would be unfair for other talented people. And Damien is right, you are still behaving like an _asshole_. I’m not voting.”

At least you were honest about it, though it made him feel a little more irritated than he was with Cindy almost hovering over him and spewing some excited nonsense.

He decided there’s no need to further prove your point with the ‘asshole’ thing, so he just spat “ **Fair enough.** ”

“We are _not_ voting yet, geez…”, the big human groaned. “We still need to hear how everybody else is playing. Hold your horses.”

Damien tried really hard to be a good leader or so it seemed to the skeleton. He still had this self-righteous aura around him, as if he was the oldest and wisest amongst all of the band members... and it could be true, seeing how you and Cindy acted. Some of his behaviors were still a mystery, but everybody has his limits and Edge wondered how long it was till the human’s patience will run out.

“ **When?** ”, the skeleton moved a little on the bench, beginning to feel uncomfortable with you touching his leg. As soon as he did that though, your knee moved away even more, preventing even accidental physical contact.

“In a week or so. We really need to step up our game before Halloween if we want to nail that concert.”, Damien explained with a sigh and added while looking at the skeleton. “You _can_ come.”

“ **My, how _noble_ of you, human.** ”, he scoffed at him.

The man squinted his eyes a little before saying as calmly as it was possible. “There’s a room for only one asshole in here, _Edge_.”

This made him smirk a little. He would make a good sergeant in the Underground… if he wasn’t a human and survived long enough.

“Let’s go back to the newest song, folks.“, the singer announced and grabbed his guitar. “We could use some unrestrained feedback too.”, Damien nodded at the skeleton, though it was visibly stiff and forced.

The band really did improve after those few rehearsals once everybody knew what they did wrong and how to fix it. Edge helped mostly with the first part, to be honest, but he never really criticised when something was done correctly. He wasn’t a part of the group, so he couldn’t feel proud at all by its progress, but there was something in him that felt satisfied with seeing your lot get better at what you liked doing.

Damien’s guitar playing and vocals gained some edge, some more feelings, Cindy’s solo did get better in a few places and Toby remained solemnly focused on his drums, not raising his head to look at his surroundings even once. Your voice sounded smoother and nicer too, somehow, but he wasn’t sure how you managed that, being out all the time. He never heard you practice too.

The rehearsal lasted for two more hours until everybody got tired and bored of repeating one of the hardest songs over and over again. Damien decided to play one last song to close the whole day and picked the one you all liked the most and performed the best. The skeleton almost nodded approvingly at that. He knew that strategy, he used it himself as a Captain of the Royal Guard - it was a good idea to finish training with a ‘success’, so the whole group felt satisfied with themselves at the end of the day.

Finally, it was time for everybody to leave. Cindy was still scared of walking home alone, so Damien offered to escort her to her new apartment. You said you had something to do before heading back and after a short goodbye, you ran off with a big bag on your shoulder to do your thing. Toby mumbled something about needing to adjust the settings in his synthesizer in silence before the next rehearsal and stayed behind.

Edge took the stairs and had to stand another set of Cindy’s cheerful goodbyes at the bottom of the building when she and the tall human left the elevator. The skeleton noticed they were going the same way he did, so he decided it would be best to wait for them to get a headstart. He glared at the Damien’s broad back and Cindy’s small frame as they disappeared in some alley before letting out a deep sigh.

This day was so fucking exhausting for him it felt as if it lasted for a week already. He recalled everything that happened, from the meeting with the weird human in your loft till the loud and tiring rehearsal. He still felt the remnants of his rage from the afternoon fight with his older brother and the idea of going home right now seemed even more tedious than listening to another Cindy’s rant. His soul was like a tied knot of frustration, irritation, anxiety and weariness. There was a chance he could get to his motorcycle without alerting any of the skeletons at home, but that was very unlikely at this hour and after what happened.

He could always walk around the city, he knew which districts were fairly quiet, so maybe if he tired himself more, he would unwind enough to go home and face his brother. Edge stuffed his hands deep into his jacket’s pockets and turned around, ready for a longer walk back home. But there was something missing.

He checked all of his pockets, but couldn’t find his bucket list anywhere. Great. This day couldn’t get any more worse it seemed. Edge still wasn’t so keen on going back home, so he begrudgingly decided he might as well start the long walk from getting upstairs again and looking for that stupid piece of paper. It’s not like it meant something for him, but it would be really bothersome to write it down again.

And he didn’t want anybody except for you to see it.

The building was quiet when he walked inside, his every step echoed clearly when he was climbing up the stairs. No matter how silently he tried to move, there was always some small grit or wood chippings or pieces of glass that scrunched under his heavy boots. There was no music or singing, so every step he made was drilling into his mind, irritating him further. He must have been really tired to be angry at those simple sounds.

When he reached the rehearsal room, the door were still wide open and the musical instruments stood where everybody left them, plugged in and ready to use anytime. Even the lights were still on, but something important was missing. Edge entered the room with a cautious frown and spotted his folded list lying under the bench. Just when he was picking up the piece of paper from the ground, he heard an alarming sound coming from the hallway and it dawned on him. Where had Toby gone?

After stuffing the list into his pants’ back pocket, he walked cautiously outside and stood perfectly still for a longer moment, waiting for the sound to appear again. Finally he heard it, something he couldn’t mistake for anything else - muffled sound of distress and suffering was coming from the third door down the corridor. Somebody was crying in there.

Edge didn’t even hesitate this time and walked straight to that room. The floor on this level was swept, so his footsteps were much more stealthier. He stopped near the empty doorway and peeked inside of what seemed to be a devastated bathroom.

Many dirty tiles already fell off the walls and were cluttering the floor of the unused room. The windows were broken and boarded up, so only a little of the street light got inside. It would be hard to see anything in there if Edge wasn’t a monster that literally grew up underground, where the light was scarce anyways. Behind the thinner walls that divided half of the room into three stalls was a curled up body, leaning on the wall. It was also clearly the source of the sobbing he heard in the rehearsal room.

Edge didn’t know what to do now, when he finally found Toby in this state. When it came to somebody crying, he was at loss. Until today he thought he knew what to do at least when his brother was crying, but now he was as hopeless as ever. What should he do? He was sure that trying to touch the little human would freak him out more than anything and he wasn’t really keen on touching him right now. Plus… humans were even more disgusting when they cried.

He thought about backing up to the room and pretending to look after the instruments. After letting Toby cry out his fill, the small human could come and lock the door properly. Leaving all that stuff unsupervised was highly irresponsible after all, so Edge could reprimand him for this and pretend he doesn’t notice his puffy eyes or something. This could work.

The skeleton took a slow step back, but the wall he was leaning on while peeking inside the bathroom was a thin one and his weight made a few remaining tiles fall off with a loud clatter. He froze, his eyes fixed on the human that was staring back at him with a terrified expression - like a deer in the headlights, like a victim. There was a breathless silence for a few long seconds when neither of them wanted to budge.

Toby moved first, his sobs returning with full force, and started furiously rubbing his red eyes with his hands. He grabbed the sleeve of his t-shirt to wipe the wetness off his cheeks.

“It’s… It’s a-allergy. I-m f-fine. I’m not cry-cry-crying…”, he mumbled quickly and tried to get up from the floor. He wasn’t looking at the skeleton now, doing everything to avoid his gaze.

Edge didn’t say anything. He really didn’t know what he could say. Everything that came to his mind sounded too wrong, too sappy or too cruel. Toby reminded him of something fragile, that could break apart after even one harsh word, so he remained silent. He just stared at him with a deep frown, mulling over the situation.

“I… I’ll be ri-right there…i-in a mo-mo-moment...”, the drum boy sniffled and hid his face behind his sleeve and the ruined stall wall.

The skeleton was still staring at the small human, or at least those fragments of him that were still visible from where he was standing. Both you and Damien seemed quite perceptive when it came to the other people, yet there Toby was, crying in the abandoned building as if he was alone and there was nobody to turn to. Was it the only time this happened and Edge was just ‘lucky’ to find him like that? He really doubted that, because the floor in that corner was cleared of the loose tiles - as if the place was ready to be occupied by a sad body again and again.

“ **There's no need to rush.** ”, he finally managed to mutter in a low voice. “ **Finish what you’re doing.** ”

That was pure rubbish. He was really miserable when it came to seeing someone crying. Now he wished he had bolted the moment he heard the tiles hit the floor. Maybe the boy wouldn’t notice a tall, looming figure with glowing eyes that was st- oh, who was he kidding.

The small human approached him slowly, his head hanging low and shoulders hunched in a defensive way. “A-already did…”

Edge’s mind was reeling right now, full of questions that he really shouldn’t ask and some answers he didn’t want to hear out loud. His hand moved a little, but then he decided there was no point in trying to comfort the human like that. He sucked at comforting and he would only scare him more. He looked scared. Was he scared of him?

“ **Fine.** ”, he still kept his voice low, but decided it was better for them both to go back to his assholeness. It was something Toby was familiar with, right? “ **I forgot something, so…** ”

The small human nodded a few times and wrapped his scrawny arms around his torso in a sad attempt to comfort himself. He still wasn’t looking at the skeleton and there was a heavy silence again. Edge finally noticed he was standing in the doorway and blocked the only way out of the dark bathroom, so he took a step to the side.

Toby walked quickly past him, his face still wet but also beet red from embarrassment. After letting out a deep sigh, the skeleton followed him. He felt an urge to do something, say something, and that baffled him. It was a strange person, a strange human, somebody he shouldn’t care about at all. He was a shitty monster if he wanted to comfort a complete stranger and didn’t do the same for his own brother. But he also couldn’t leave this as if nothing happened, just like it had place in Cindy’s apartment.

“ **Will you show me how your device works this time then or not?** ”, he barked at the boy a little too loudly than he intended.

Toby curled up tighter and cast a terrified look over his shoulder at the tall skeleton that was walking those few steps behind him. He tripped on the doorstep, but managed to keep his balance. Edge almost sighed in relief. It would be really hard to explain why the little human was bruised after spending five minutes alone with him.

“Y-yes…? I… I… I can… I don’t kn-know… do… do yo-you really wa-wan-want to…?”, the human was blubbering while he hid behind his music set again.

There were drum sticks in his hands already, pressed to his narrow chest like a sorry excuse for a teddy bear. At least he wasn’t running anymore, though it felt as if he was on the verge of fleeing from the building altogether.

“ **DID I FUCKING STUTTER?** ”, Edge asked angrily and regretted both his tone and the words he used a second later. Tense silence fell between them again and the skeleton took a deep breath before lowering his voice and saying again. “ **Yes. I want to see how it works. Show me.** ”

His tone was still demanding, but something in it worked because Toby moved slowly and turned his synthesizer on with a quiet click of the switch. The skeleton wondered how much of that was the human’s own will and which part was just him bullying the drum boy to do what he wanted. Asking whether he really wanted to show him now seemed silly, so he decided to roll with the situation for now.

He approached the music device and sat on the small stool in front of it only when Toby nervously motioned for him to do so.

“S-so… it’s a… a…”, he began nervously but suddenly went silent and his fingers squeezed the drum sticks tighter. After a few seconds he sniffled and tried again with a strained voice. “... a s-s… synth-synth… tesizer.”

Edge nodded slowly and decided it will be better if he didn’t look at the boy at all. His gaze seemed to frighten him even more than his close proximity, which was both curious and understandable.

“It c-can be us-used to im… imitate o-other instru-struments. Li-like a flu-flute or… or… whatever…”, Toby mumbled quietly and pressed a few buttons on the device.

When trembling fingers touched the piano-like keys, Edge heard something that might have been a flute, but a really unfamiliar one. He cocked his head a little and listened to the melody that the boy played for a few seconds.

“ **It doesn’t sound like an instrument I know.** ”, the skeleton commented after a while of silence.

“I… I know…”, the boy mumbled. “I-It was fa-fairly ch… cheap. I do-don’t have m… money for so-something be-be… better.”

“ **So the more expensive it is the better the sound.** ”, Edge concluded sternly.

It seemed it was like any other instrument after all, the quality of the device influenced the quality of sound and all that. It still did look very mysterious to him though. Like a complicated puzzle. The skeleton reached towards the big white keys of the device and hesitated. The boy didn’t want him to touch it before, so there was a little chance he would like that now. He turned his skull to look at him.

“Y… you can t-try... “, the small human cowered under his gaze.

He played a few notes, but the sound of the synthetic flutes was really annoying to him. He heard during the rehearsals that the device was able to produce more pleasant sounds amongst the really weird ones.

“ **It looks like a piano. Can it sound like a piano?** ”, he asked in a pensive tone after trying out a few more notes.

“Oh… y-yes. A mo-mo… moment.”, the boy immediately stood up and pressed a few buttons before sitting away from the skeleton. Again. “H-here…”

Edge took it as an invitation to try the instrument out and moved the stool he was occupying to be positioned right in front of the device. He still had his fingerless gloves on his hands, but didn’t bother to take them off before he gave the instrument a shot and played a few notes. This was way more pleasant than what he heard before. It sounded almost like Undyne’s piano in the Underground, the one she allowed him to use from time to time.

He huffed quietly at those memories, feeling the urge to play something longer. It’s been some time since he touched any instrument, let alone a piano, but there was this longing in his soul that made him press a few keys in a practiced manner with one hand.

Edge hesitated and turned his head a little to look at the human, who was crouching on his own chair with knees tucked under his chin. There were still drumsticks in his small hands and he wrapped his arms around his legs as if he was cold. His big eyes were looking straight at him, waiting, and the skeleton decided to interpret it as permission.

The skeleton’s hands began moving again, the melody slowly flowing from his soul towards the keys of the unfamiliar device. It still sounded very much like a piano, so after a few more notes, Edge stopped caring. He turned back to the instrument and focused on indulging his silly nostalgia with music. He didn’t even know why his memory gave him this piece to play, but he went along with it, allowing the notes to come freely to him.

For that while, he remembered why he liked playing music. There was something freeing in it, something that allowed him to leave the place he was trapped in and just fly away along with the beautiful memories filled with emotions. That was the case in his Underground, that was why he even started learning to play anything at the first place. This longing for freedom that every monster shared with him, but only he and his brother were allowed to have it here. Then… why did he feel trapped now, as if a fragment of his soul was still down there?

His fingers hit the keys with more force, but he kept perfect control of his strength this time. He was proud he could play fragile instruments without damaging it in the process and this time was no different. The skeleton lost himself in the music for a longer while and when the end of the song was coming he finally snapped out of it, slightly embarrassed, but also finally at peace. He really needed that.

He played the last few notes really gently stroking the keys and took his hands off the device. The silence that fell between him and the small human wasn’t so tense right now, but still neither of them was eager to say something.

Edge finally felt this was too much for him and cleared his figurative throat. “ **One could _say_ it sounds like a piano… generously speaking.** ”

“Um… y-yeah… it does…”, Toby’s voice was quiet and seemed even calm now, so the skeleton dared to look at him again. “That w-was… re-really be-be… pretty.”

“ **Ah.** ”, Edge grumbled, but didn’t take his eyelights off the amazed human face. “ **Of course it is. I’m a bit rusty though… And I prefer playing violin. It’s more… dignifying than banging on the keys all the time.** ”

There was a curious glint in Toby’s eyes. “I… I wo-would… like to he-hear that too.”

The humans expression quickly changed from fascinated to terrified, when Edge scowled suddenly at his words. His whole demeanor went back to being apologetic and as small as possible, so the skeleton turned away, not wanting to scare the small human.

“ **I don’t play anymore.** ”, he said coldly and added before Toby even managed to think about asking him a question. “ **I broke mine.** ”

“Oh…”, the drum boy only said and that was all. There was nothing else from him, just silence.

Edge was almost certain he would ask about it, humans were a curious kind, but… he understood. Not that long ago he saw Toby sobbing on the floor and didn’t ask too. He still wasn’t sure if that should be the case, but this small understanding they had right now was enough for him. He felt calm and Toby sounded calmer too.

“W… wo-would you… teach m-me…?”, the human broke the silence with his timid voice while pointing at the synthesizer.

That was something he didn’t expect to hear that day. The skeleton turned to him with a surprised frown on his face and saw fear again, but also a small spark of hope he recognized. There was something familiar in those big hopeful eyes, something that was hard to say ‘no’ to.

“ **If you tell anybody, I _will_ kill you.** ”, Edge pointed his bony finger at the small human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird thins Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.


	11. Up the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scary skeleton gets shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter! This time there's more Edge-Reader interaction, but also action and serious decisions!
> 
> Enjoy, my beautiful Readers!

Edge was pretty astonished with how long the small human could sit and practice patiently only one piece of music. They have sat next to each other and repeated the song over and over again for a few hours at least, but Toby didn’t seem to be bothered by fatigue or boredom. If anything, he seemed to be more alive and awake than when the skeleton had found him. It got really late before both of them decided it was enough for the first ‘lesson’.

There was a short while when Edge wondered if he should offer the weak human to walk him home, but something made him remain silent. He noticed how the drum boy began avoiding his gaze the moment going home was brought up and decided it was better not to push him more than he already did. They parted ways at the bottom of the building - Toby didn’t say anything when the menacing skeleton turned towards the stairs to get there - and Edge finally began his long walk home.

This time he didn’t feel so anxious and frustrated about getting to the skeleton’s house, most of his irritation vanished during the long hours of playing and explaining. He was feeling almost calm. There still was his anger, burning deep inside his soul, but that was something he got so used to he didn’t even stop to think why he felt that way. His heavy steps led him straight to the doorstep and his thoughts reached an idea at the same time.

He’s going to talk to Sans.

The hour was so late some may call it a morning, but he knew that his lazy brother was more prone to stay awake at weird hours than to go to sleep before midnight. The house was silent when he came in and locked the door behind him, the only sound filling the living room were his cautious footsteps and the dirty mutt’s tail banging happily on the floor. He ignored the dog’s unnecessary attention and walked up the stairs to stop right in front of his brother’s door.

He leaned on the doorframe with a sigh and stood there for a moment, thinking about what should he say first. He felt tired, but he knew there was no good reason to postpone that, so before his mind started drifting away somewhere else, he rapped at the door quietly.

“ **Sans…?** ”, he tried to keep his voice low but at the same time he wanted to be heard. It was no easy feat. “ **Sans, I want to talk to you.** ”

“HE IS OUT.”, a familiar and quite loud voice rang behind him.

Edge turned around quickly, startled that somebody was able to surprise him like that. His magic surged again in a defensive response, but calmed down immediately when he saw it was just Papyrus. The other skeleton was looking at him with a gentle smile on his bony face, a pile of laundry in his arms.

“ **I see.** ”, Edge grumbled, not trying to be quiet anymore.

“I’M GLAD YOU WANT TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT WITH YOUR BROTHER, EDGE, BUT YOU LOOK TIRED. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD TALK WITH HIM AFTER YOU GET SOME SLEEP?”, Papyrus suggested while walking past him.

“ **Yes. I will do that.** ”, he let out a deep and exhausted sigh. “ **Goodnight.** ”

“AND GOOD MORNING TO YOU, BROTHER.”, the cheerful skeleton cast him a happy smile as he was already going down the stairs.

That made Edge scoff loudly, but he couldn’t help but feel a little better. It seemed that Papyrus approved of his effort to make it up with his lazy brother. He slowly shuffled to his room and had enough strength to take off his pants before he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he had to go straight to work because of the hour he allowed himself to sleep in. Despite that, he stopped next to his brother’s door and knocked again, hoping he could just notice him about his intentions. Unfortunately, Sans was either still gone or he left already. Edge knocked once more and called his name, but ultimately left to do his job.

This time he was hired to clean up the mess that was left after a big makeover - which meant he had to get rid of the old paint buckets, unused plaster and wooden boards, broken tools and dust. The dust was everywhere and got into his nose cavity and eye sockets at every occasion it got. He had to open all the paint stained windows and wait until the dust clouds he stirred up settled down a few times in a row. The sight was unsettling for him a little, but he didn’t allow his mind to wander that way. It was just a normal human dust… not the monster one.

The other thing that was pesky for him was the paint. Whoever did the renovation, didn’t really care about securing the floor and windows with anything properly. The paint stains were everywhere and he found himself swearing many times at the screw-ups that did that before he managed to clean at least half of it.

Still, it was a job he overall enjoyed. There was nobody around since the owner was still on vacation somewhere far away, the whole neighbourhood seemed to be out at work for a fair part of the day and the apartment was painted in a pleasing color palette. It was quiet. He could fully focus on not thinking about anything and just carefully scraping the paint off the wood and glass. He didn’t finish that day, still having to take care of the stained doorframes and putting all the door in the hinges, though he still felt a little tired after all the work.

When he got home, he went straight to Sans’ door to knock on them again. And again, there was no answer. It wasn’t unusual for his brother to be so busy they didn’t see each other for a few days in the row, but this time it was beginning to irritate him. He was ready to talk, to reach out to his lazy brother… and he couldn’t. His resolve to make up with him was getting thinner and thinner - he was more stubborn than Sans but when it came to patience, the younger brother had it less.

He knocked once more, this time more aggressively, but upon receiving no answer, he stormed to his room to change his dust stained clothes. He put the work clothes in his laundry bin and with the phone in his hand, he went down to the living room. There was the more lazy and cowardly version of his brother napping on the couch.

For somebody who didn’t spend time around the skeleton monsters, this one and his Sans looked almost identical, except for the fact that his brother had scars and a golden tooth shining between the sharp canines. To Edge they were so different he could recognize both of them even if they dressed the same with ease. In a dense fog. In the middle of the night.

Even their voices had a distinctive timbre, not to mention their mannerisms and choice of words. Yet somehow, this time the sight of this world’s Sans sprawled comfortably on the couch made him stop for a moment and just stare.

“OH, EDGE! I HEARD YOU COME IN!”, Papyrus was in the kitchen again, dressed in his cooking apron.

“ **I finished work for today.** ”, he turned away from the sleeping skeleton this instant and pretended he’s busy with something on his phone.

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP ME WITH COOKING?”, Papyrus asked with a hopeful smile.

There it was. The question he asked every single time Edge was near the kitchen while he was preparing a meal. Usually (as in always) he answered with a quick “no” and the topic was dropped until the next time. But… Edge hesitated.

It wasn’t a long moment, but Papyrus noticed it immediately and his smile widened visibly. He looked so damn happy for a short moment, the aggressive skeleton almost allowed himself to agree.

“ **No.** ”, he finally said and turned away not to look at the disappointed expression of this lovable skeleton.

“OH… ALRIGHT. THE RECIPE IS VERY LONG AND IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO PREPARE. MAYBE THAT’S BETTER. I DIDN’T ASK IF YOU HAVE THIS MUCH TIME TODAY.”, the cooking skeleton responded, without missing a beat.

The phone in his grip came in handy again. He pretended to be busy with something on the small screen, but his mind was occupied with very grim thoughts that made his bone brows frown. He felt guilty for even considering doing something so simple like cooking with Papyrus.

“ **I probably will go out again in an hour.** ”, he grumbled quickly, not even certain if there was a rehearsal today.

The last fight he had with his own brother made him wonder if his behavior really made Sans think he was replacing him with the other skeleton. What would he do if he came home and saw them together in the kitchen? He was always avoiding doing anything with this world’s skeleton brothers, but lately he did spend a lot of time with Papyrus. Learning to use various tools, doing shopping for things needed to do his job, even checking something they argued about on the internet. An idea to go to the kitchen and just join him felt almost natural to him now… and he felt like a scum for that.

“ALRIGHT! I HOPE YOU WILL HAVE FUN, EDGE.”, Papyrus beamed like nothing happened and went back to the kitchen.

Edge felt he was being watched, but didn’t react. This world’s lazy skeleton had an annoying habit of motionlessly staring at someone with just one eye half open. He already learned to recognize the feeling this gaze invoked in him - like he’s being judged for something he didn’t even know he had done - and ignoring it was the best way to deal with it. He had far more concerning matters to focus on anyways.

He needed to talk to his Sans, but he still wasn’t around and something told Edge they will keep missing each other for the next few days. After a longer while of blank staring at the small device in his hand and mulling over his problem, Edge got an idea that almost made him smack himself on the forehead. He could always call him or text him, he had his number for fuck’s sake!

He pressed a speed dial button and put his phone against his skull immediately. He heard a long beeping sound that indicated the other skeleton’s phone was on and in the range, but that was it. He didn’t pick up until the very end. When the signal ended, Edge huffed with annoyance, but couldn’t allow himself to be mad at Sans this time. If he was busy with his work, he shouldn’t pick up his phone anyways, though… Edge never really called him. Wouldn’t that mean he has something important to say?

He was ready to press the speed dial again, but a loud farting noise ripped the air, signalizing that the tall monster got a message. The skeleton lazily lying on the couch snorted at this, of course. The signal repeated himself again, making Sans chuckle lowly.

“ ** _Very_ funny, bone bag.** ”, Edge growled at him with anger reappearing in his voice and quickly opened the message, expecting it to be from his brother. It was you again.

 **The Human:** Edguardo da Edgy, remember talking about paintball?  
**The Human:** I could get us a solo session in paintball hall.  
**The Human:** No disgusting humans except for me.  
**The Human:** Could invite Damien and Cindy though.

He hesitated again. It was happening too often for him lately - to stop at every little proposition other people made and really think if he even wanted to do that. A few weeks ago his answer would always range from “ _no_ ” to “ _fuck you_ ”, but something has changed and he found himself wondering if he’d like to try another thing from his bucket list. His stupid list.

Was he allowed to go and have fun with you when he tried to reach out to Sans and make up with him? Maybe he should just wait till he comes back, do something productive for the rest of the day, but at home? Cooking with Papyrus was out of the question… somehow anything involving other skeletons felt like a bad idea that would only make him feel more guilty and thus more irritated. There were still a lot of things he could read about on his computer, even if that was boring him already.

There was a part of him that was opposed to the idea. He didn’t do anything wrong that should make him feel like that. And he did try to talk to Sans four times already, didn’t he? He was staring at his phone for a long while, his face scrunched in a brooding frown.

A sleepy baritone got him out of his thoughts. “if ya wonder what that is for _this_ long, buddy, i’ll give ya a hint. it’s a dick pic.”

“ **Oh, _shut up_!** ”, he barked immediately and left the living room while trying to ignore another chuckle.

He wasn’t going to stay at home. He tapped his phone’s buttons angrily while putting on his heavy boots.

 **Edge Lord:** Whatever. What’s the address?

On his way to the garage, he called his brother once again, but the result was the same. He tried. He could as well go and have a life now.

_________________________

Paintball.

That weird sport you tried to explain to him a few days ago. It was surprising for him to hear that humans enjoyed shooting at each other and getting shot, but it was probably a better and safer alternative than actually playing war in a confined space. It seemed that humans were somehow managing their violent nature with those kind of activities, amongst many others.

Ultimately Damien and Cindy were invited too, but they were running late. You didn’t want to wait for them this long, so you decided it was better to start the game and let them join later. The human male that was manning the paintball hall was looking funny at you and your skeletal companion, but a short sharp glare from Edge made him explain the safety rules quickly and leave. After checking whether everything is in right order, you declared it will be a duel between humans and monsters and jumped behind a big yellow barrel with something that could be generously called a battle cry.

And so it began. After a while, Edge was hiding behind a thin wall and waiting for you to make your move again. The game seemed simple enough for him - shoot or get shot - and after a while he got used to the weapon you chose for him. It was a device similar to human firearms, but this one was shooting round projectiles filled with paint. Edge figured that’s why the sport was called like that. Sometimes humans were worse at naming things than the Monster King.

Focusing on shooting at you and taking cover from your frantic attempts to hit him made him forget about his issues for a moment. Despite it being something he could excel in, your strange bravado and utterly bizarre strategies surprised him a few times. He was still winning when it came to the points, of course. Though he felt you had far more fun with being hit by his paint filled balls, because every time he heard you go “ _ow_!” from pain, it was followed by your hysterical giggle.

You were sure a weird one. You often abandoned your cover to run towards him in a crazy zig zag while shooting everywhere. It worked to some extent, because he didn’t dare to peek from his safe place until you tripped or hid again. He noticed you weren’t afraid of being shot at all and it was something that he couldn’t get used to. In his world, being hit usually ended with death. Old habits really do die hard.

Your way of playing this violent but somewhat safe game was making him loosen up and have fun here though. He quickly stopped feeling like he was in a real fight. It was… strange. But in a good way. The silly ordeal was going on for a while now and he found himself smiling a little every time you got hit and started yelling your usual nonsense like “ _Freedooooom!_ ” or “ _You think you kill me with bullets? I take your fucking bullets! Go ahead!_ ” He did recognize some of the quotes you were using and he even let out a low chuckle at one of them.

At that moment he heard you try to sneak close to him. Emphasis on try. There was only one person that could surprise him when he was this focused on avoiding the ‘enemy’, and he wasn’t present here. Your shoes were shuffling quite loudly for him and you tried to breathe as quietly as possible, but the idea was rendered useless because of your laugh, which was apparently very hard to stifle.

Edge raised his weapon with a sly smirk on his face and quickly leaned out of his cover to fire a few balls towards you. You gasped at the fact that your ‘perfect plan’ was foiled by his acute senses and scrambled to hide behind a big wall near the edge of the field. He managed to shoot you a few times before you did that.

You yelped in pain when the last ball reached your body and that made him lower his weapon with a frown. You were hit a lot during the whole game, but never shouted that loudly, so the sound was really alarming to the skeleton. There was no silly comment or famous last words from you too. At this moment a thought hit him - he hurt you, even with all the safety precautions they took with this silly sport. He didn’t mean to, but he did.

“ **Human, are you…?** ”, he peeked from behind his wall to see if you weren’t somewhere in the eye range. Your legs were visible from the place he was hiding.

“I’m dead! Dead humans don’t talk!”, you answered him before he managed to ask his question. It seems that the rules about being dead concerned only talking, because your feet were wagging slightly from side to side.

Edge stood up and walked towards you with his weapon lowered next to his right side. When he finally was close enough to see your face he noticed you were sweaty and red, but still smiling. He felt a wave of relief when it dawned on him you weren’t really harmed in any way.

“I think a break is in order. You hit my ass for the _fifth time_ and my bruises have bruises.”, you were still lying on your back when you reached up with your hand.

He squinted his eye sockets a little and grabbed your hand to help you up. “ **The monster race was victorious then.** ”

“Indeed, my mighty foe. But the war is far from over!”, you pointed at him and quirked your brow.

He watched you as you trot back to your bag to grab a bottle of water, his thoughts keeping him in place for a moment. You grimaced a little when you sat down on the floor right next to your belongings. You were fine, he just hit in the same spot time and again till you’ve had enough.

It was odd for him to actually care about whether you were hurt or not, but he decided it wasn’t something he should dwell on. You were his friend... or that’s how he _called_ you. A fleshy, weak, soft friend that could be easily hurt, it seems. Good thing they were now living on this world's Surface, where everything was way more safe and secure, so he didn’t need to worry about your safety. Not that he was really concerned by your well-being. You seemed crazy enough to deal with most of the things by yourself…

“Aaah… sorry for being late!”, Cindy barged inside the hall and almost tackled you into a hug. She noticed your paint stained clothes and stopped before she got a chance to touch you. “... and you were playing already.”

“Oh no. No no. Come here!”, you grabbed the woman by her hips and pulled her so hard she toppled over you, covering herself in the paint stains with a piercing shriek that turned into a fit of laughter.

“I see you’ve won.”, Damien closed the door behind him while directing those words to Edge.

The skeleton wanted to say something unpleasant, but was still occupied by looking at you and Cindy pretend-wrestle on the dirty floor. You were impossible. “ **It depends how you define winning, human.** ”

“You ready for another round then, _Edge_?”, Damien always responded with very articulate pronunciation of the skeleton’s name when he heard him use ‘human’ instead of his name. The suggestion was clear, but Edge ignored it.

“ **Always.** ”, the skeleton answered with a sharp tone.

“I have an idea!”, you yelled from the floor suddenly, almost as if you sensed the angry male tension between them from your spot under Cindy’s chest. “I team up with Cindy against you two!”

“What…? _Noooo…_ ”, the woman sprawled on the top of you sat up and whined. “I don’t wanna be against Edge.”

“So you want to fight _me_?”, your wide smile made her pale immediately.

Edge scoffed. “ **I assume this _isn’t_ the first time you’re here.** ”

“We were here _once_. It was… a paintbath with ______.”, Damien shook his head a little. “Toby doesn’t want to come close to this place anymore.”

“You’re overreacting, Dam... “, you cowered a little at his cold gaze. “Okay! Okay! I overdid it with the drama.” You turn to Edge with a wide grin plastered on your face. “A little.”

“______ is right though. It wouldn’t be fair if I paired with Cindy against you two. You are tired already.”, he was looking straight at the skeleton now. “And it could be a sort of team building game for us two, don’t you think, _Edge_?”

“ **It almost sounds like you want me to be on your team, human.** ”, he cocked his head a little at this idea. “ **But fine. Just don’t get in my way**.”

The tall human let out a sigh that indicated he still had some patience to spare and grabbed his gun. “Ready?”

“ **You bet.** ”

It’s been fifteen minutes into the game and he already knew two things. First, Damien was pretty good at this kind of activities and Edge couldn’t say anything negative about his tactics. Second thing was the fact that you were totally going easy on him during the first match. You were crazy when it came to attacking and acting as a diversion and Cindy could take advantage of that too.

“Shit. I’m almost out.”, Damien whispered to the skeleton while pressing his shoulder to the bony arm and hiding behind a very small cover. “We gotta move.”

The game was far more entertaining when there were more people and he was really glad you had a chance to play with him before the other humans joined. He stopped treating this as a training and started having real fun… it did ultimately got him shot many times, but he didn’t mind. Both he and Damien had their clothes covered in paint already and Edge got even hit on the head once. He had a helmet so the only thing that was bothering him was paint on his goggles.

After a sharp nod from the skeleton, the human quickly got up and tried to get to another hiding spot when the monster tried to assist him with a covering fire. You were hit again, but Cindy was nowhere to be seen.

“ _I was supposed to die in France! I never even saw France!_ ”, you yelled while crawling back behind the barrels.

There was another fit of giggles from you when the skeleton shot a few more balls towards your cover to keep you there. Edge finally understood what were you trying to do. It was stupid and reckless and could only work in a game like this. You weren’t afraid of getting hit, even if it meant having a lot of bruises after the match, so you attracted as much attention as you possibly could. This meant that the other enemy was…

“ _Clever girl._ ”

That was Damien’s voice coming from a few walls over and after those words rang in the air, the man started laughing very loudly. The laughter turned into a desperate wheezing in a matter of seconds. He began begging for mercy between his breathless giggles. Cindy was torturing him with tickling.

“ _Run, Edge! Run!_ ”, the human managed to yell between gasps for air. “No! No! Stop!”

“Cindy, we talked about it! It’s contradictory to the Geneva Conventions! No! Tortures!”, you called from your spot and Edge knew you didn’t move even a bit.

That was always a big hole in all your plans, he noticed. After going along with even the boldest and craziest ideas, there was a moment when you’ve already reached your goal - you did nothing then, probably coming up with another crazy idea. The skeleton decided to make use of this knowledge to his advantage and stalked slowly towards your hiding spot.

“No mercy!”, the woman yelled back at you and proceeded to torment Damien, who was already out of breath.

You were too occupied with bantering with Cindy over the walls to notice a skeleton creeping up on you from behind. He left his weapon on the ground not wanting to shoot you from the close range, because that might hurt you more than he intended, and reached towards you with his long arms. You turned around at the last moment, almost as if you sensed him there.

“Oops…”, you gasped when he grabbed you quickly and pulled towards him.

Edge stood up while holding you close to his chest like a living shield. You were wiggling a little, but he felt you were tired and didn’t put up much of a fight. After a few seconds you stopped, so he proceeded with his plan.

While pulling you towards the voices of begging that were occasionally blurted out by Damien, he heard you yelp in pain again. He relaxed his grip on your ribs slightly and stopped in his tracks for a moment to look at you. He met your gaze and your smile. He was rarely this close to you, but suddenly he was very aware of the warmth and softness of your flesh. Humans and their weird squishy bodies were still baffling him. How could something like this pose a real threat?

“ **The fight is over!** ”, he raised his voice and tore his gaze away from you. “ **Release the prisoner or your teammate will perish!** ”

“Oh woe! Cindy! They got me!”, you went along with the silly roleplay quickly, but the whole dramatic effect was ruined by your laughter that shook your whole body.

“Okay! You give me back my friend and I will release yours!”, the woman slowly and with some difficulty dragged Damien by his foot from the corner of the hall and into the open sight.

The man was breathing heavily and had paint stains on the helmet and goggles. It looked quite silly to see a small woman manhandling a big guy like him, but it seems Cindy knew his weak spot and used it mercilessly.

“He seems dead to me…”, you whispered to Edge in an amused tone. “It’s kinda an unfair exchange.”

“ **You want me to tickle you till you lie on the ground like that, human?** ”, the skeleton leaned to your ear to ask in a menacing tone only to mask how utterly surprised he was by the sole idea of doing that to you.

“Uh… no? Cindy! Help! Save me!”, you started wriggling again.

“It’s a tie…”, the man lying on the ground mumbled. “Nobody won… nobody lost.”

“Nobody? You do look like a _loser_ to me, Dam.”, Cindy laughed and lowered her gun.

“Ouch… _my pride_. Ah, no. It’s already dead.”, he put his hand on his chest and tried to get up with a groan.

Both you and the woman giggled at this and Edge took it as a signal to let you go. The game just ended. All of the contestants were covered in paint and (with the exception of Edge) bruises, but seemed happy. After changing into clean clothes and washing the paint from places it somehow reached despite the safety clothing, the humans went on their way while taking you with them.

Edge got on his motorcycle and also headed home, but decided to take a little longer route to think. You seemed to know your human friends really well and all three of you seemed to be a good team, even while playing against one another. The skeleton felt a little jealous of how comfortable your group was around each other. You felt safe with them, it was clear as a day to him.

He wondered if that was the case with him…

It was a stupid thought and he pushed it away quickly - it didn’t matter at all. He needed to focus on his brother, especially when Sans didn’t try to reach him back after all those hours. But when he reached home and saw how Papyrus tellingly motioned with his head towards the stairs, his resolve started to disappear.

After giving the tall and cheerful skeleton a slow nod, he walked up the stairs and stopped in front of the Sans’ door. This time he hesitated before rapping on the wood with his bony knuckles.

“ **Sans…?** ”, he called quietly and heard only silence as an answer. He leaned on the door frame and put his hand on the door. “ **I wanted to talk to y-** ”, Edge tried again but got interrupted right away.

“ **Go away…** ”

The tall skeleton mulled over the idea of entering the room without his brother’s consent, because he heard a faint tremble in his voice. He recognized what that meant and it really didn’t help him in deciding what to do with this situation. Edge was about to say something, feeling his soul getting taken over by anger again, but decided against it.

“ **FINE.** ”, the tall skeleton growled and went straight to his room. He refrained from slamming the door this time though, remembering that Papyrus is downstairs. He didn’t want to pull the other two skeletons into this fight and was determined to solve it only between the two of them.

Edge still had a lot of time before going to bed and getting ready for his next day at the makeover apartment, so he decided to take a look at his Stupid List. He crossed out the paintball experience from it with a perfectly straight line. There were more and more ideas on the list, though some of them still sounded silly for him. He put them there only because you insisted on it and the skeleton had a faint suspicion you did it only because you wanted to try it out with him.

He remembered what you said about some of the items on your own bucket list and it gave him an idea. There was a time when his brother didn’t have much money to get new clothes for both of them, so he learned how to knit. The first thing that Sans gave him when he finished was that silly red scarf that Edge then proceeded to wear for half of his life. The shapeless piece of garment was lost to him now, but he still looked fondly back at those times. They didn’t have much then, but were closer than ever…

Maybe if he rekindled those feelings in Sans too, he would remember there’s no one more important to Edge than his stupid lazy brother? He didn’t plan to touch knitting or even putting it on his list, but that didn’t seem like something he couldn’t do. It was for his brother after all.

Finding some knitting supplies at home wasn’t that difficult - Papyrus was often taking up various hobbies and there were unimaginable things hidden all around the house when one knew where to look.

Edge spent the last hours before going to sleep swearing on the way the yarn was behaving and cursing at the slippery needles - being a skeleton, he had a difficult time keeping them in his grasp. He didn’t predict the whole knitting would be so frustrating, but… he was more stubborn than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.


	12. The Storm Cellar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another storm hits Ebott and the grumpy edgelord must find a safe place to wait it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admit it, we were all waiting for this!

He left the small apartment he was cleaning that day in a hurry, but it was already raining hard. The skeleton felt his clothes get wet pretty quickly, especially when he had abandoned his jacket at his working place. He didn’t have time to think about it when the first rumble of thunder reached him from afar. His wet shirt was clinging to his ribs and it made him feel like he was being slowed down, like there was a force trying to hold him still, preventing him from reaching a safe haven. He didn’t run, though with every step he felt more and more like doing so. His heavy boots were stomping on the pavement along with the frantic beating of his terrified soul. The only thing that stopped him from running was a certainty that he will fully panic if he allows himself to do that. It made him feel weak again. Like a babybones. Like a **victim**. This time he wasn’t hopeless though…

Edge despised himself for that, but he was praying to the stars above that you were home. You must be at home. He **needed** you to be there. He didn’t have anywhere else to go at this moment. His whole plan was based on that faint hope he could reach you and even a mere thought he was wrong made his soul stutter in dread. He didn’t dare to reach for his phone and call you or Sans, afraid he might drop it to the puddle again, rendering him more vulnerable than he already was. The skeleton was glad that the rain and wind made most of the humans hide in their homes, because he didn’t know how would he react to meeting one right now. He wasn’t hiding like then, he was trying to get somewhere and he couldn’t afford to be stopped right now.

The lightning appeared on the sky and he almost tripped over his own feet when that sight made him tense from fright. He considered hiding anywhere right fucking now, but your apartment was so close. He could just reach it, he almost saw in his panicked mind that he was there. He used that image to save what little determination he had left in him. The thunderstorm was gaining strength really quickly and the wind blowing straight to his face made him feel like the angry weather itself was trying to push him away. It wasn’t strong at all, but a terrified mind of his liked to exaggerate everything and fuel his fear even more.

He stumbled on the stairs, suddenly not fully in control of his own body when an angry rumble of thunder reached him. The skeleton was already in the building, but that didn’t change anything for him, the sound of rain and angry lightnings was still chasing him like a mad dog. He wasn’t that far from your front door. _Just a little more_...

When he finally reached your place and banged on your door with both of his fists, he couldn’t find strength to say anything. His voice was gone from fear. Every second you took to answer was like agony for him and he had to lean on the doorframe to keep himself standing straight. His knees were shaking like crazy and he was pretty sure his teeth were chattering too.

Another thunder growled loudly like an angry beast and shook both the walls and his very soul. He closed his eye sockets shut and pressed his forehead to the cold surface of the wall. You're not there. No. He’s alone. **He’s going to die.** **He’s going to…**

“Edge?”, you asked with a surprised tone after you finally opened the door.

He didn’t give you any answer. The skeleton launched himself towards you without a second thought and barged inside your apartment. The metal door hit the wall with a loud clang from the sheer strength of his action, while you were pushed towards the nearby wardrobe until your back was firmly pressed to it. Edge closed his eyes shut when he grabbed your shoulders and held you for his dear life, not really focusing on what’s going on around him, where was he or if you were even alone. You were there. You were home. That was all he could think about at that moment and nothing else mattered to him.

The skeleton was shaking, his bones were rattling loudly and his mind was reeling frantically, so he didn’t hear your question. Was it a question? You were saying something, he was sure of it. He managed to force his eye sockets open and look at you. Only now he noticed he was standing very close to you, his forehead pressed to yours, which made it really hard to try and find your gaze. He felt your soft arms in his trembling grip and immediately loosened it, not wanting to hurt you in fear again.

“Edge? Why are you-”, you spoke again, but another lightning hit something really close to your building and it made him jump with a terrified squeak.

He had enough self control not to squeeze your flesh, but he did grab your shirt’s sleeves instead. There was a quiet sound of ripped fabric when he tugged on your clothes, but it was drowned with the thunder echoing in the neighbourhood. His eyes were closed shut again and any attempt to explain his erratic behavior was foiled with the utter lack of voice in his proverbial throat.

“Oh... “, you gasped and your voice suddenly turned gentle. “Okay. Easy there, big guy.”

He felt your arms cautiously wrap around his ribs and the big scary skeleton got pulled into an awkward embrace. He moved his head slightly to the left, allowing himself to lean on you and pressed his forehead to your shoulder. Your scent filled his nasal cavity almost instantly and he involuntarily took a deep shaky breath to inhale as much as he could. There was something familiar in it, but he didn’t know what.

“I’m here. It’s okay.”, you murmured softly while rubbing comforting circles on his back with both of your hands.

He didn’t know what else to do, so he just stood there, pressed to your warm body and allowed you to touch him. It soothed him again, just like before. Feeling your weak human hands on his shoulder blades and ribs was somehow helping and his soul managed to calm down a little. This time the warmth of your touch felt more intense to him due to only one thin layer of wet fabric separating his body from you.

“ **I… didn’t mean… to…** ”, he whispered when he finally found his voice again, hoping that you understood what he was referring to.

“I know.”, you said in a slightly relieved tone. “We can move to the couch when you’re ready.”

Edge nodded shakily and remained silent, trembling slightly less than before. The safety he found in your arms seemed to be the only place he wouldn’t get hurt by the horrible weather. He didn’t dare to move for a longer while, because that could make you think he wanted to go to the living room already. Another thunders made him shake violently for a few seconds and tighten the grasp he had on the fabric of your clothes. After each aggressive growl of the Mother Nature, he heard you say soothing words that went along with gentle touches on his bones.

The panic he was in when he almost broke into your loft was slowly subsiding to the point he was finally able to let you go. Somehow the thunders were less frequent, so the heavy rain and your words was all that he heard for a longer time. He relaxed his hands first, allowing them to slowly fall down to his sides. He felt they were a little sore from the strength of his grip and he really hoped he did control himself this time enough not to bruise you. He moved a little and took a step away from the wardrobe he was pressing you to with his own body, making you let go of him. The skeleton finally raised his head a little to break off all the physical contact he had with you. It suddenly got… _unpleasant and cold_.

“I take it you want to sit down?”, you tried to look him in the eye sockets, but he quickly averted his gaze with embarrassment.

“ **That would be…** ”, he began, but another booming growl outside killed his voice before he managed to say anything more.

He both suddenly wanted you to embrace him again and to avoid touching you at the same time. It was the stupidest feeling he could have at this moment and it made him lean towards you while putting both of his hands next the sides of your head in a weird compromise. He was trembling again, trying to do everything he could to control his fear.

Stupid. **Weak**. Coward.

“It’s okay… It’s alright. There’s no need to rush, kay?”, you assured him gently and touched his chest with your warm palms.

You’ve waited for a few minutes before pushing him away and gently forcing him to step back again and then leaned a little to grab the edge of your door to swing them slightly. The metal clang that rang in the hallway indicated that it closed.

“There. I have my blanket out, waiting on the couch. Let’s go, big guy.” Despite the loud storm outside, you kept your voice low. And so gentle.

Edge didn’t dare to look at you. You brushed his forearm with your fingers and slowly entwined your hand with his. After a short while when the skeleton did nothing, you pulled him towards the couch. He followed you to the living room like a puppy, just like before, but this time the ridiculousness of the situation didn’t hit him that hard. You saw him like that already, you even picked him up from the fucking dumpster last time. He couldn’t get any lower than that.

The only thing he was focusing on really hard was controlling his grip. His body was tense in a terrified and impatient anticipation for another thunder as he was intending to let go of you if it happens. Your hand seemed so damn soft it would break in his grip if he squeezed too hard.

“You know…”, you began in a steady tone while stopping in front of the couch. There was this horrible fluffy blanket from the last time and your big headphones. His terrified mind settled down enough for him to reach to a conclusion you were spending the day alone, watching something on your laptop. “It’s great you’ve managed to get here.”

His thoughts came to a sudden halt and he snapped his head towards you, his eye sockets widened. You were praising him. He ran like a coward, like a wimp to hide in your… your apartment. And you thought it was worth praising. Why? Why were you so bizarre and irrational? He was lost again. You, your weird ways of thinking and even weirder behavior towards him did it again. Truth be told, Edge preferred to think about that than to focus on the death threats the crazy weather was sending him in the unbearably irregular intervals.

“You went to the closest place you knew, right? That’s good thinking.”, your warm smile attracted his attention again and he decided it was best to just nod at your words.

Before he knew it, you wrapped the tall skeleton in that damn blanket, which he already associated with safety from the last time, and pulled him towards yourself to make him rest on your chest. His eye lights darted to the headphones you grabbed with a slow motion, but he shook his head when you tried to put them on his skull. This time he didn’t want to listen to your music or whatever were you just doing. He wanted to avoid falling asleep - he had work to do and he wanted to… hear your voice. It was better than some nameless singer.

“You okay there?”, you didn’t whisper, but your voice was so low you might as well had.

He almost managed to answer, but… The thunder made him cling to you again and he decided it was better to remain silent for now and only nodded. At least he wouldn’t have to listen to his stupid stuttering voice. Edge was surprised how eager he was to just let you wrap your arms around his shoulders and stroke his back through the blanket and his wet shirt. It was so familiar to him now, even if it happened only once, that he almost heard your weird music. Instead of that, having his skull pressed to your chest again, his hearing detected a slow beating of your heart. It seemed so calm to him, especially comparing to his frantically trembling soul. He wondered for a while if you felt that, being human. You didn’t say anything before, but… you didn’t acknowledge a lot of things he was sure you had noticed.

He felt you shift a little and the warmth of one of your hands disappeared from his back, leaving a cold feeling behind. Your soft fingers brushed the bony surface of his skull as if checking if you’re allowed to touch him like that. The new sensation made him close his eye sockets for a moment. He was about to say something, but then a sudden sound disrupted the tense moment and it startled both the skeleton and you. The hand touching the back of his head withdrew immediately.

“I swear it wasn’t me…”, you breathed, trying to keep your cool when facing ghostly sounds of farting coming from the tangled mess that the two bodies and the fluffy blanket were part of.

The skeleton let out a higher pitched growl and tried to reach to his back pocket to fish out the little vibrating device. “ **That’s my phone…** ”

Somebody was calling him right about now, and Edge could think of only one person that could be doing that. The weather didn’t seem to ease at all, the thunders still making his whole body shake from time to time and his hands were trembling because of that, so he had difficulty keeping the device still enough to check the caller ID. Ultimately, the phone slipped from his grip and skidded down the blanket towards the floor, but you managed to catch it before it fell.

“Hey, let me.”, you murmured softly and turned the phone’s display towards your face. “It says ‘ _Legendary Fartmaster_ ’. You want to pick it up or…?”

“ **It’s my brother.** ”, Edge mumbled and reached for the phone quickly, hoping to pick up before his brother stops calling.

You gave him the device back, but decided to hold his trembling bony hand in yours, just to help with steadying it a bit. Edge managed to press the green button and a loud voice could be heard.

“ ** _Bro! Thank the fuckin’ stars!_** ”, the small skeleton’s voice was audibly worried sick. “ _ **I’ve got you. I’m here. Tell me where ya hid, I’ll come and pick ya up in a blink.**_ ”

Edge was sure you heard that, there was no use in pretending you didn’t. You remained silent though and resumed a slow stroking motion you were doing with your other hand before Sans called. For a moment there he didn’t know what to respond. Again, his brother was worrying about him, even after when Edge said he dealt with his fear the last time a thunderstorm took place in Ebott. The tall skeleton closed his eye sockets and pressed the phone to his forehead, feeling your warm fingers brushing on his temple. He couldn’t pretend he was indifferent to his brother’s state and a part of him was happy to hear his voice, but on the other hand, he felt his always present anger swell in his soul a little. He was already scared and embarrassed, he didn’t need another mix of emotions in his soul right now.

“ _ **Bro? Bro!? Do ya hear me? Say somethin’!**_ ”, Sans seemed to be panicking right now.

“ **I’m… I’m fine, Sans.** ”, he managed to say, but his voice sounded so pathetic he immediately felt a light flush creeping on his cheekbones.

“ _ **Okay. Cool. That’s good to hear.**_ ”, there were a few breaths before the older brother continued. “ _ **Right. So where are ya? I’ll take ya home, you’ll be safe.**_ ”

He still had his skull pressed to your chest so your heart beat was almost rumbling through his bones. He felt how your warm hand was tracing circles on his shoulder blade, sometimes stopping to rub his ribs. The scent he recognized on you was filling his nasal cavity now and he remembered it was that weird floral laundry detergent you used. The storm was still raging on and there was no doubt he was still terrified, but...

“ **I’m safe.** ”, he answered before his brother began panicking again.

He might have imagined it, but there was a moment he thought you stopped your movements for a heart beat or two. Edge was more focused on listening to his brother this time, so even if that was the case, he paid it no mind.

“ _ **Ya… ya are? Where are ya?**_ ”, the worry in Sans’ voice somehow deepened. “ _ **Really, bro. There’s no need to play hero now. I know ya are strong. But let’s take it ea-**_ ”

“ **I said. I’m sa-** ”, he wanted to sound certain and unafraid, but the nature had a cruel sense of humor and a sudden thunder shook everything around him, making him let out a terrified squeal instead.

You hugged him closer on an instinct, but remained silent. He really wanted you to say some of that soothing nonsense right now, call him a ‘big guy’ or something… but you didn’t. He heard a faint voice calling his name time and again, but the phone was on the floor already. The clatter Sans must have heard when it fell probably made the small skeleton panic even more.

Edge moved a little, trying to unwrap himself from you and the blanket, but you were quicker. He was almost certain you were going to answer the phone and say something, but… why were you like that? You were making him deal with it on his own? Why?

“ _ **Bro!? Papyrus!?**_ ”, he heard his brother’s voice clearly when you pressed the phone back to the side of his skull.

“ **I… just got startled. D-dropped my phone.** ”, the tall skeleton whispered back quickly and resisted the urge to sigh when your warm palm was on his back again. He grabbed the blanket with both of his hands and dug his slender fingers into the soft fabric. “ **I said I’m safe. I’m dealing with it.** ”

“ _ **But… Paps… Please, ya can’t be serious. It’s hell out there.**_ ”, his brother calmed down a little, though his voice was still worried.

“ **I’m dead serious. Just…** ”, this time he managed to clench his teeth after he saw the lightning flash in your window and waited till the roaring thunder went past. “ **... just let me h-handle this. I’m fine.** ”

Sans didn’t say anything for a few heavy seconds and when he finally spoke, his voice was laced with concern but also sounded defeated. “ _ **Alright… but call me if ya need me. I mean it, bro!**_ ”

“ **I will.** ”, Edge grumbled to the phone, already dead tired of dealing both with the weather and his concerned older brother.

You noticed he moved his head away from the device and ended the call with one quick tap of your thumb. Then you proceeded to put the phone down on the coffee table next to the couch - it was now close enough for both of you to reach if need be. There was a heavy silence between you and Edge for a few moments, but he didn’t mind it, focusing on the beating of your heart.

“You know…”, you murmured softly and the skeleton could clearly feel your voice vibrating in your chest. “It’s kinda good to hear that you feel safe with me. It makes me feel… dunno… stronger.

This comment irked him a little when he finally realized what were you saying. “ **Stronger than me? I hardly think so.** ”

You responded with a sharp scoff. “That’s not what I meant, you grumpy edgelord.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, suspecting he utterly misunderstood you a second ago, so he said nothing. What could he say? Ask you about it? Apologize? How one even goes around that?

“What I did mean was…”, you saved him from his brooding by speaking up again. “You know. You’re a big, strong and intimidating skeleton. Really scary even. It’s just… nice to think I can help you sometimes, even like that.”

Your hand was still moving, the warmth of your soft flesh underneath his head and arms seemed really intense to him at the moment. He wasn’t sure whether it was just the effect of two bodies being close to each other or his magic was oddly reacting to your words.

You shrugged slightly, which he felt more than saw, and continued. “It makes me feel stronger than I thought I am.”

“ **Oh…** ”, he muttered quietly after giving your words a longer thought.

There was nothing he could say right now, simply because you surprised him with that. Everything you said rang in his head like an echo, almost louder than the thunders that shook his bones. So you did think he was scary, but somehow didn’t let that be shown in many situations he tried to intimidate or bully you. You also considered him strong, despite the fact he was now clinging to you like a terrified child and cuddling up to you when a fucking light appeared on the sky. And you… thought you’re weak?

The storm was slowly subsiding, much to his relief, but he was getting lost in his thoughts too. His mind was too occupied with those musings to register you muttered something to him. A steady beating of your heart and tapping of the rain made him doze off for a longer time, despite his previous plan to stay awake. He felt really warm and safe, so his tired mind and exhausted body betrayed his resolve.

He woke up when the setting sun hit his closed eye sockets with warm rays of light. Edge blinked a few times and focused his gaze on what he saw. There was his bony hand tangled awkwardly in a fluffy blanket right in front of his nose bone. It was slowly moving up and down in a steady rhythm of your deep breaths. He remained calm when it finally dawned on him where he was and what he was doing, though he felt another warm surge of magic filling his bones in a sudden wave.

Slowly, he raised his head to look at your face. You were still fast asleep, your head lolled a bit towards his skull, lips slightly parted and hair messy as if you wrestled the thunderstorm all by yourself. He stared at you for a few whiles, taking in your features when there was no threat of you noticing his creepy behavior. He wasn’t sure what humans considered beautiful, so he wasn’t able to judge your looks in those standards, but… it most certainly wasn’t an unpleasant sight to him. A little weird, perhaps, knowing that underneath those soft cheeks and weirdly tickling skin was a skeleton skull. Your eyelashes were also puzzling for him, but he learned some time ago that all of the human body parts had its purpose.

Edge didn’t know what time it was, but he was certain he spent too much time at your apartment already. He still had a lot of work to do before beginning a bigger job tomorrow, so he had no time for napping with you like that. The skeleton tried to slowly get up from the couch, only to notice his back was slightly stiff from sleeping in this position and you were lying on his other hand. Or more precisely, he wriggled his hand underneath you during one of the louder thunders and left it there. It was most likely not only stuck under your back but also sandwiched between the cushions of the carnivorous couch.

He could wake you up, but somehow he felt embarrassed to lie with you like that when there was no need for this kind of disgraceful proximity and this idea made him grimace a little. The blanket wrapped around the two bodies wasn’t helping at all too. After a short consideration, he decided to stealthily unwrap both himself and the fluffy fabric from you and get up.

It wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be, but being the Great and Terrible Papyrus and all, he managed to do that almost flawlessly. Almost, because there was a moment when you stirred a little in your sleep and his face was hovering just above yours, making his soul freeze for a second. Thankfully, you slept like a log, so he was free in no time.

He straightened himself and adjusted his shirt that was crumpled up after drying on him in this conditions. Resisting the urge to vulgarly move around and make his spine and joints pop into place, he poked your arm with his long finger.

“ **Human.** ”, he grumbled at you. If he could just let you sleep like that, he would, but he couldn’t leave your front door unlocked. He already gave you your keys back, so this option was unavailable to him. That left him with only one thing to do. “ **Human. Wake up.** ”

“Mhhhhmmm..?”, you mumbled in your sleep and turned your head. You didn’t open your eyes though.

“ **I’m leaving. Wake up and lock your damn door.** ”, he growled a little louder, still somehow not wanting to interrupt your slumber.

“Mmmmhhh… five more minutes…”, you said almost coherently.

This made him think of his brother, who often behaved like that when he really didn’t feel like leaving his bed. Edge rolled his eyelights and after a loud exasperated sigh he decided to take more radical steps. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it away from your body.

“ **Just get up!** ”, he barked at you.

“Alright… alright… geez…”, you mumbled with a very unhappy frown on your sleepy face and finally sat up. “I’m up…”

You put your legs on the floor, one after another, and stood up with a yawn. Unlike the skeleton, you had absolutely no decency and allowed your joints to pop loudly while stretching after an uncomfortable nap on the couch. Mumbling something under your breath you shuffled to the door and grabbed the knob after a third try.

“See ya…”, you said in half yawn and moved to the side to make way for the skeleton.

Edge stepped outside and was about to leave, but something made him stop. He turned around and looked at you.

“ **Listen, ______ ...** “, he began, surprising even himself and closed his jaw shut. He wanted to say something, but no words came to him when he really needed them.

You looked at him patiently for a moment, but he still remained silent. Then you smiled. This was the same damn smile that got him no matter what was happening around him.

“Anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And questions for you, my beautiful Readers!  
> Do you think humans can feel the monster soul like they can hear or even feel the beating of the human heart? Skellies are all only bones, so is their soul visible if they take their clothes of? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Or maybe it needs to be properly summoned to be visible at all? What's your head canon when it comes to those topics? I'm all ears!
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.


	13. Nose in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our grumpy edgelord is a fiddler on the roof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! Here's another chapter of Edgy's shenanigans. There's fewer interactions with Reader this time, because there's a plot happening, but there will be more in the next one, so don't worry!
> 
> Love all of your comments and asks and holy shit so many subscriptions and kudos! My wonderful and beautiful Readers, this makes my day every day!

He went straight back to the small apartment he was cleaning before the storm hit Ebott. The streets were full of deep puddles and littered with garbage that wind ripped out of the open dumpsters. The air was filled with that weird scent Edge always associated with the storm. It always made him feel conflicted - it was pleasant in a way, but the lingering thoughts of the panic he felt not so long ago made him hate it at the same moment. Today it was… more tolerable. He was calmer, though there still was this fearful tension holding onto his soul, making him unable to fully relax and think properly.

Because that’s what he was trying to do. Think about what happened that day and perhaps even this month. His workplace was situated not that far from your apartment this time, so his terrified mind decided it was the best place to run. He had done something like that on numerous occasions when he was smaller - when attacked or scared he ran to the first place he remembered was safe. Well… safer. It always worked, so probably that’s why he chose your loft now.

No. Not your loft. The damn place had nothing to do with it, he had no illusions about that. He still was disgusted with himself that he had been thinking about you when his panicked mind had been looking for a safe haven. _You_ , of all the people. A weak and soft human that somehow stumbled upon him almost a month ago. He was still deciding whether this was a really lucky thing or another way of the universe to fuck with him. You were growing on him, that was true, and your bizarre behavior shocked him less and less, but still... you were too weird.

What he was thinking about you shouldn’t matter though. You gave him exactly what he needed and more and didn’t ask for anything in return. It weighed on him, like an unpaid debt or that fucking tab at Grillby’s. There was no way you would try and collect that, he was almost certain, but that made it even worse. Especially with the way he was behaving towards you, like an asshole.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at his reflection in a big puddle that was right in his way. He was scowling again, his face contorted into an expression filled with anger and unspoken threat. He knew he was scary and intimidating, you apparently knew that too. Yet you still decided to spend time with him and didn’t dare to make jokes about his fear. Scratch that. He knew you would dare if you wanted to - for some bizarre reason you didn’t give a fuck about his threats and angry snarling. But you didn’t say anything. You just helped him without a word of complaint and you deserved something better than his usual tantrums.

With a low growl, Edge kicked the water in the puddle, making his angry face disappear in a flurry of ripples and he started walking again. He decided he would thank you. Properly. He knew you understood perfectly what he wanted to convey right before he left your building, but the skeleton was also certain he shouldn’t rely on that unspoken understanding. He made that mistake with his brother and it resulted in an awful shitstorm that caught up to him right now. He should have been telling him many things, like how he is still his one and only older brother or how important he was to him. Telling cheesy shit to a person that saved his life countless times and dealt with his tantrums even now shouldn’t be beneath him. It was a bare fucking minimum, he owes him this much… he owes him everything. And now he starts to owe you more and more.

Those thoughts made Edge pat down his pockets to search for the phone and call his brother, but then he noticed he left it at your place. Again. He let out a long and irritated groan.

Being already on the stairs to the apartment he was cleaning, he decided to finish everything quickly and go back to you to get the phone back. He left in a hurry those few hours ago, but there was very little left to do in here - it was at most only one hour of cleaning. With an angry huff, he grabbed the bucket that was standing next to the bathroom door and got back to work.

It took him a little over forty minutes to finish everything and check if there was anything else left to do. He was in a hurry, but there were still standards he always planned to uphold to maintain his reputation - there weren’t many people that knew about him, but not one complained about his services so far. Edge wanted to keep it that way, it was his job.

When he finally got back to your loft, he noticed that the way from the small apartment was much shorter than he remembered from the storm. It seems that his mind really likes to play tricks on him when he is really scared. The thought angered him, of course. He always liked to think about himself as someone that has control both over the closest surroundings and his own stupid emotions.

The skeleton took a few deep breaths before knocking on your metal door. He needed to be calm and focused on saying “Thank you”. The plan seemed simple enough, but he couldn’t remember what was the last situation he said those two words. The fact that you took your time to answer wasn’t helping him at all.

He started fidgeting on his feet and stuffed his hands deeper into his jacket’s pockets. Why weren’t you opening those damn door already? Maybe you were gone? This would make getting his phone back impossible. He banged at the door again, a little louder. Maybe you were listening to music again? You needed some more time before, perhaps that’s the same situation.

Edge grit his teeth while thinking what exact words should he use. A mere “thank you” sounded too simple, but he couldn’t think of anything else he could say. Even those words seemed really hard for him to utter. There was a conviction hammered into his soul through his hard life that showing gratitude for help is seen as a sign of weakness. And weak monsters die.

Not in this world though, he reminded himself. Not on the Surface. Papyrus tried to beat it into that thick skull of his, but to no avail. His own disability to say something so simple irritated him, because there were many things that were almost impossible and yet he did them. Mere words shouldn’t be such a big problem, should they? He knocked for the third time and was about to assume that you’re not home when he heard your voice calling from the inside.

“Moooooment!”, the lock clicked loudly and a second later, you were facing him again. “Oh… you’re back, Edgy McHighheels.”

Your weird and soft body was wrapped tightly into two fluffy towels - one covering you from your hips to knees and second one taking care of your upper half of the torso. Your hair was still dripping with water and he noticed almost invisible wet footprints on the floor behind you. Suddenly it was perfectly reasonable that you were so slow to answer the door, but at the same time the skeleton was utterly surprised you dared to open them in this state.

“ **Yes.** ”, he blurted out while looking at you incredulously. He noticed that he was staring at you and decided to look over your shoulder inside the loft. “ **I forgot something. Two things, to be exact. My phone, first off all.** ”

“Ah! Yeah!”, you nodded eagerly at this and smiled wider. “It kept farting at me some time after you left. It didn’t sound like that long ringtone from before, so I didn’t look at it.” You beckoned at him with your wet head. “Come in.”

He shook his head slowly, avoiding you with his gaze - he was still puzzled whether it was appropriate to look at you when you were almost naked. You were a human, so he didn’t really care, but at the same moment he knew you were weird enough to make an annoying remark about it if he keeps staring at you. He didn’t want that.

“ **I would rather finish my business with you and go, human. I have _better_ things to do.** ”, he scoffed at you, inwardly scolding himself for being an asshole again.

“Deal. Wait a moment.”, you left the door slightly open and hurriedly walked to the living room.

He was in a slight hurry, because he still had to get to Toby. He arranged to meet with him for a next lesson in less than an hour. Edge didn’t predict a raging storm to hit the city in the middle of the day, so he didn’t have time to go back home to change and talk to Sans before dealing with a scaredy drum boy. His whole day was a mess right now, so all he could do was to deal with it as fast as possible.

You were quickly back, holding his phone in your outstretched hand. “Here you go. One farting phone for you. What was that second thing?”, you leaned on the door frame nonchalantly and somehow the towels stayed on your body.

He caught himself staring at you again, but this time it had nothing to do with your lack of clothing. The skeleton was trying to think of something to say, to start that one topic, but he found himself mute again. You didn’t even act as if anything happened a mere hour ago, you were just… you. Were you doing it on his benefit or you didn’t want to talk about sleeping with a skeleton monster in the first place?

He just had to say it. Just the two words and the rest will come to him naturally. That’s how it’s supposed to work, but somehow it fucking didn’t. Edge was almost opening his jaw to say anything or just utter another “ _listen…_ ” to at least start talking, when the phone farted again, destroying all of his resolve with one silly sound.

“ **Turn that piece of shit _off_. It's childish and drives me _crazy_.** ”, he pushed the phone back into your hands.

“Really?”, you seemed surprised, but after seeing him glare at you impatiently, you just shrugged. “You want me to show you or…?”

“ **Just turn all of this off. I don’t want _anyone_ to bother me when I’m busy.** ”, he waved his skeletal hand at the device. “ **I’ll check all this shit when I’m done.** ”

“Okaaaay, Edgelord Edgynegger. Sound and vibrations are _off_. Skynet won’t bother you anymore.”, you placed the phone back into his hand. “Anything else? It’s kinda cold and I know you hate it when I get sick and more _disgusting_...”

He frowned halfway through stuffing the phone back into his pocket and looked at you with a question lingering right inside his fanged mouth. You were still dripping wet, standing in the open door. He remembered that could make the weak human body sick. He didn’t want that.

“ **Ugh. _Go_ , take care of… whatever you were doing.**”, he backed away from you with a grimace. He didn’t think you would try to sneeze at him again, but he did that for the sake of that silly situation that took place almost a month ago.

It seemed to work, because you giggled triumphantly and shut the door.

While walking out of the building, he checked his phone quickly. There were about twenty messages from Sans and his soul thrummed nervously, expecting to see a lot of worried words, but that fortunately wasn’t the case. Each and every message was full of stupid puns that were carefully avoiding anything connected to weather. That, despite the low level of humor attacking him from the little screen of his device, made Edge smirk a little. His older brother always tried to help him through the fear by joking around to make him laugh… or to annoy the hell out of him. Seems like this time he has found a way to do that again, though the tall skeleton was able to read that only now. It almost felt like there was nothing wrong between them. Almost.

 **Coolest Bro:** It would be almost impressive if you hadn’t used that garbage a hundred times before.  
**Coolest Bro:** I still have a business to take care of, so I will be home late.

He wrote back quickly, believing this should calm down Sans’ worries for now. Edge knew that his brother would try to nag him about that storm and where he hid, but ultimately decided he will deal with it somehow later. He still wasn’t sure whether he should tell him about you, especially when the smaller skeleton didn’t believe him when it came to his job in the first place. Hiding in a human loft and calling it safe sounded crazy enough for Edge and he knew it was the truth. So what about Sans? Would he call him out on bullshit again? Would he think he’s replacing him with a mere human? They still needed to talk anyways, so perhaps it was better to tell him everything on the spot? It’s not like keeping it from him at the beginning did anything good.

With this line of thought, he arrived at the old apartment building and entered it without hesitation. His mind started focusing on the upcoming lesson, though he still felt irritated with himself and slightly distracted. There was no way that the small human would notice this, but he wasn’t pleased with himself about that either. He had standards when it came to everything, even if it was teaching anything to a pathetic human. Fortunately, he was able to concentrate on the music and temporarily forget about the storm, his brother and you.

Toby was a fast learner and the skeleton rarely had to correct his mistakes more than once. It still was obvious that the small human had to spend more time on this piece - it was long and complicated - but the bits he learned already sounded good under the small fleshy fingers. Edge was pleased with that and maybe even a little proud, though he would never admit it out loud.

After a few lessons there was little need for instructing Toby on the fragments he already knew, so Edge focused on observing him instead and started noticing more things about the small human. First of all, Toby was much calmer around him now, though he still reacted nervously when the skeleton raised his voice or moved too suddenly. The boy was vigilant at any given moment, his narrow shoulders always a little hunched, even when he played. He constantly looked ready to flee or apologize, as if this was the best course of action in many situations he faced. It took some time, but Edge changed his mind a little about the drum boy though - the small human wasn’t a victim, but a survivor. A weak one, though a survivor nonetheless. There were many more or less successful ways of staying alive and out of trouble, and being as much invisible and non-threatening as possible was one of them.

“T-the audition will be n-next week.”, Toby mumbled while searching for a notebook in his backpack during one of the short breaks that day. “Are… are you still in-interested in j-joining our b-band?”

“ **Does it have a _name_ yet?** ”, Edge responded while leaning back on the stolen bench. The small stool he was using while teaching the human was uncomfortable for him due to his long limbs, but he didn’t try to adjust the instrument and the seat to accommodate himself - Toby was too small for that and it would unnecessarily complicate the lessons for both of them. “ **Didn’t hear it even once during the rehearsals.** ”

“Uh… n-no.”, Toby mumbled under his breath and ran his fingers on the black surface of the instrument. “But w-we will be choosing one to-to-tomorrow. I m-mean… voting. We have s-some ideas?” The boy still didn’t sound confident at all when addressing the skeleton.

Edge only grunted in response, not interested in the name your miserable lot will choose. You stopped nagging him about the band for the last few days, but he still was thinking to at least try. It would require him to get his violin back and that could prove difficult for various reasons. For starters, he wasn’t sure whether his instrument still even existed.

“ **I’m still thinking about it. I don’t want to waste my time on your _pathetic_ human band.** ”, he barked in an unpleasant tone, making the small human flinch a little.

“O-okay… I… If… If you have a-any… uh… pro-problems, I could… a-ask my friend at sch-school to bo-borrow a vi-violin…”, Toby muttered timidly while cowering more behind the synthesizer.

When the words reached Edge, he snapped his head and glared angrily at the human. Were all of the humans so perceptive or was it just you and Toby? Or maybe it was just pure coincidence? The skeleton told him about his destroyed violin, but never really thought his words meant anything then. It was irritating, to be honest, to find out that he was so transparent to someone that he would consider an enemy some time ago. He didn’t like it one bit. Another thing that was making his soul swell with anger was the fact, that yet another pathetic creature from the surface thought he needed help.

He saw how Toby shrinks under his stare, but despite the fear, the small human mumbled, “M-maybe… j-just think abo-about it…?”

“ **No.** ”, he answered curtly, trying to rein in his anger. He doesn’t _need_ help, he’s _not_ that helpless. Why would humans see him as such? _He wasn’t weak_.

“B-but… it’s just-”, Toby started to mumble again and it somehow was too much for the skeleton.

Edge stood up from the bench, his hands clenched tightly into fists and he glared at the human. He didn’t have to come closer to loom over him, he was tall and intimidating enough to make that effect on Toby from afar.

“ **I SAID NO! WHY WOULD I NEED ANYTHING FROM SOMEBODY LIKE YOU!?** ”, he was yelling, again.

The small human’s breath hitched slightly and he covered his head with his forearms. Edge wasn’t close enough to even lay a single phalange on the human, yet here it was - he saw him cowering again, from fear… or just in a trained anticipation for something painful. The skeleton made a few steps towards the instruments Toby was hiding behind, but that only made the human curl up tighter.

Edge knew something horrible was going on in Toby’s life and he wasn’t making it easier on him. It wasn’t his business at all, but still, he _wanted_ to do something. He just snapped at him now, nothing more, he wouldn’t ever physically hurt him for various reasons. One of them was that the boy looked so fragile he would probably break almost instantly, the other were following consequences of a monster killing or harming a human. And just… he _didn’t feel like it_. There was no glory or honor or any fucking benefit in doing that to someone like Toby. He stopped right next to the human, who didn’t dare to move, but was visibly trembling.

The skeleton reached towards the boy slowly, but noticed all the scars covering his pointed phalanges and withdrew. He was a monster, a _literal_ one if compared to the other ones that emerged from the Underground. His hand looked terrifying in comparison to the small human’s shoulder. White, battered, clawed…And his demeanor meant only threat and pain and dire consequences and everything horrible. Edge was suspecting that the boy was being hurt by other humans so it was sure as hell that he wouldn't want to be touched by something worse.

He should go back to wearing gloves again, he _hated_ his scars anyways.

“ **I didn’t mean to yell at you.** ”, he finally growled, uncertain why was he angry this time. He forced his hands to relax and blatantly lied in a more controlled tone, “ **I don’t accept help from anybody. Not just you.** ”

Edge frowned, seeing that his words didn’t help. The human was still curled up tightly, trembling hard enough for the skeleton to be worried he might fall from the stool. He tried again after a few moments and a fair amount of calming breaths. “ **It’s not you. I fail to notice how loud I am sometimes.** ”

Finally, there was a movement and Toby looked at him with a scared and uncertain glimpse in his eyes. The human’s gaze jumped quickly to the skeletal hands, now just hanging loosely next to Edge’s leather clad femurs. In an instant, his face turned red, the embarrassed blush reaching the top of his ears.

The boy mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like an apology and relaxed enough to let his scrawny arms stop covering his head. He was still tense, but at least didn’t look like he was having a panic attack. There was a long and awkward silence between them when none of them was eager to say a word. Edge crossed his arms on his chest, very slowly, and looked away.

“Y-you…”, a small voice made Edge look back at him, but after that nothing more was said.

The skeleton waited for a few seconds, almost patiently, before asking in a rough tone. “ **You were saying?** ”

“N-nothing…”, Toby mumbled meekly and moved his stool closer to the synthesizer, indicating he’s ready to continue the lesson. Or at least… that’s how it was supposed to look like. Was Toby trying to placate him by pretending he wants to resume learning now? It was the time when Edge was most calm and patient towards the human, that was true, but… it made the lesson seem less appealing to him now.

“ **Drum boy… I’m warning you.** ”, the skeleton snapped, however making sure his voice wasn’t too loud.

The human cowered again, his hands stayed pressed tightly to his sides, while his hands were hid in the long sleeves of his blouse.

The skeleton watched how nervously he was picking up at the hems of his clothing while trying to collect his courage to spit out what he wanted to say. “Y-you… just… s-seem to…”, his stutter was worse than Edge could remember ever hearing. “Uh… n-not me-mean a l-lot of th-things… I j-just… I’m s-sorry… I-I’m sorry.”

Those words surprised Edge enough not to react at them at all. Not only the repeated apologies made him stare at the human with a little shocked and mostly pensive expression, but also how true that simple observation was. The frown ever present on his face deepened a little, but this time it wasn’t from anger. It should probably irritate him that the small human dared to say something like this, but somehow it also meant his shitty behavior wasn’t everything that Toby saw. Though _why_ should he care?

After a deep sigh, he sat next to the boy and turned his skull to face the instrument. “ **You still want to practice today? We can call it a night already.** ”

“N-no… I’m… I’m f-fine…”, the frail body next to Edge shifted a little and small hands tentatively emerged from the sleeves, ready to play. He was still shaking.

“ **Alright.** ”, satisfied with the answer, the skeleton nodded. “ **Start from the beginning.** ”

 

* * *

Edge came home late and tired, but also quite satisfied. When Toby got back to playing, the aftertaste of their previous ‘talk’ seemed to slowly subside and both of them focused heavily on the music. The lesson lasted as long as always and they have arranged to meet one more time before the audition, so the skeleton was almost certain he didn’t scare the small human away - not that he would care about that at all.

While walking home, the skeleton decided he should at least try to get his violin back, if it was still there. He didn’t decide whether he even wanted to try and get to your silly band, but it would be nice to have his precious instrument back. All those lessons with Toby reminded him how much he missed playing, so whatever his decision, this wouldn’t be such a bad idea. But to do that, he needed to swallow his pride and get up really early to catch Undyne in her house.

It also meant he would not be able to talk to Sans in the morning. Again. He wasn’t sure why, but the idea of avoiding his brother when it came to this topic stopped feeling that awful to him. Edge noticed that his brother was trying to avoid it too, pretending as if nothing changed and they were still on speaking terms. The longer he waited for that, the harder it would be to finally clear the air between them, he knew that. Just before he left home, he wrote Sans that they really needed to talk - a sent message couldn’t be unsent, as far as Edge knew, and it wouldn’t wake him up or disturb him at work. He felt a nervous knot tie around his soul as soon as he hit the button, but it was done, so he focused on getting where he wanted to go today.

He parked his motorcycle a little farther from the front door of the fish monster’s house, just to avoid announcing his arrival up front. When it came to dealing with Undyne - whether this one or the one he knew in his own world - it was better to have the upper hand and the element of surprise. He knocked on the door, trying to make it sound as neutral as possible.

There was a barely audible conversation between two female voices coming from inside and after a short moment the door swung open only to show a blue scaled monster grinning at him with all her sharp teeth visible.

“You’re ear- oh. It’s _you_.”, her friendly demeanor disappeared immediately, replaced with an angry scowl. “What do you want, _Papyrus_?”, she almost spat his real name.

Ah yes. Last time he saw her (was it almost half a year ago?), the situation got violent pretty fast because he dared to offend this world’s Papyrus in front of her. Thinking about it now, the reason the whole argument had started was childish - it’s not like it was easier for everybody to use the same name for the two of them - but he had very unpleasant memories from this situation. He really didn’t want to repeat the scene where Papyrus was forced to intervene. Obviously, so did she, seeing how stiff her shoulders got the moment she realized who she was talking to.

“ **It’s Edge**.”, he corrected her in a steady tone.

“Oh, _really_?”, Undyne responded with an annoyed growl. “So breaking my walls, smashing the stove and _getting your ass kicked_ was enough for you to finally stop acting like a spoiled baby?”

He waited a few seconds before answering, really trying to not get riled up because of her. Edge still was clinging to the calm feeling he always had the day after music lessons with Toby and that helped him a little. But unfortunately, her snide remark reawakened his memories from that day. Shame, anger, spite.

“ **I didn’t come here to go down memory lane with you. I want my violin back. Do you still have it?** ”, his voice was leveled but he couldn’t help his dismissive tone.

The lack of response for her taunting threw her slightly off, but Undyne quickly collected herself and spat back. “I do, but I won’t give it back just like that, you know?”

“ **I _paid_ for the repairs up front.** ”, the skeleton frowned.

“Oh, yeah. I know.”, a wide shark-like smile reappeared on her scaly face. She propped her hands on her hips. “But there was _a lot_ of repairing after your last visit and your violin was the easiest thing to fix.”

Edge was just about to answer her in a more aggressive manner, but managed to control his temper a little bit longer. Out of all the monsters from this world, Undyne was the only one almost identical to his world’s fish monster. The only difference he noticed so far was her hate towards him, totally justified. They were close friends in his Underground, if there was such thing in a world where “kill or be killed” motto was taken so seriously and Edge missed this a little. Her brash and passionate demeanor went well with his perfectionism and appreciation for music, they had spent a lot of time both practicing fighting and playing. He knew her, even if she didn’t know him.

“ **I see.** ”, he nodded slowly while eyeing the fish monster cautiously.

She was somehow reminding him of you, however bizarre that might sound. Undyne wasn’t scared of him even one bit, her whole attitude was as if she was challenging him with every word, glare and gesture. There was no way to win this idiotic tug-of-war by being aggressive at each other, especially when both of them wanted to finish the business as fast as possible. When Edge yelled at you or demanded something, you didn’t budge and Undyne was the same. If there is anything he learned from you is that there are always other means to get what he wanted. Like making a deal, for instance.

“ **Then what do you want for the violin and all the shit we destroyed?** ”, the skeleton crossed his arms on his chest.

“The shit _you_ destroyed, you mean?”, it was obvious that Undyne was ready to fight with him, words or spears, so his diplomatic approach was puzzling her a little. “What? You want to pay me for that?”

“ **If that’s what will get me my violin back, yes.** ”, he huffed with exasperation. His patience was wearing thin, but it seems like the fish monster was beginning to seriously consider this kind of solution. He didn’t like her smile though.

“Let’s see…”, Undyne tapped her wide lips with her finger while looking around. “I don’t want your money. I want you to _do_ something for me.” With every word, her smile got wider and Edge’s soul tensed more. “I want you to… hmmm…”

“ **Just spit it out.** ”, he scoffed, absolutely not amused by her antics.

She clasped her hands with a triumphant grin plastered on her obnoxious face. “Fix my roof.”

“ **Your… roof.** ”, the skeleton couldn’t resist the urge to look at the ceiling.

“Yeah. It got damaged in the storm yesterday.”, she shrugged as if it was a well know fact. “I was going to take the day off tomorrow to take care of it, but if you’re here and _oh so willing_ to give us a hand…”

He had hoped for a much faster solution, not something this complicated and long term. His fists clenched for a moment, digging his phalanges into the sleeves of his leather jacket. The skeleton wasn’t sure whether Undyne wanted just to tease him with his inability to strike a deal with her or there was really a chance to make this work.

“ **Do you have any tools for that?** ”, his voice betrayed slight annoyance this time.

“No.”, her grin was even wider and Edge had to resist the urge to punch her in the face. When it came to violence, his legal situation was a little better with monsters, so perhaps one last time wouldn’t have any grave consequences?

“ **You want me to fix your roof with my bare hands?!** ”, his growl came out threatening and loud. He could swear he saw a glimpse of yellow scales deeper in the house right after his words.

“Well, if you are so _great and terrible_ as you claim, what’s the problem?”, Undyne leaned towards him, her expression taunting.

“ **FINE!** ”, he barked at her loudly. “ **HAVE IT YOUR WAY!** ”

He stepped back, not stupid enough to turn his back on her when she was so close and turned around to leave.

“That’s what I thought!”, the fish monster called after him.

His anger was thrumming in his soul and he had to clench his jaw not to yell any obscenities at the house behind him. He heard Undyne’s cackling all the way to his motorcycle and only because of some miracle he didn’t punch the mailman that was walking from the opposite direction. The human had enough self-preservation instinct to immediately cross the street the moment his eyes landed on the fuming skeleton. The motorcycle roared to life as soon as he secured the helmet on his skull and the skeleton turned his vehicle to drive home. Fast.

He knew that this situation was partially his fault. Undyne, no matter what world, was a really stubborn and vindictive monster, and the aggressive skeleton didn’t make a good first impression on her. His last impression though was a disaster and he still sometimes felt the tight grip of a skeletal hand on his cervical vertebrae. Edge really wanted to avoid putting Papyrus in a spot where he has to intervene again. Once was more than enough.

There was no way he would let her win this time though. He maybe wasn’t the strongest monster in this world, but there were many other ways to be victorious without using actual brute force. The motorcycle revved under him with a familiar tune and the sights surrounding the road turned into a colorful blur, helping him think about what to do. He had an idea already, but it required him to get home fast and get back to Undyne before she actually leaves for work.

Edge parked his motorcycle on the driveway, not bothering to drive it into the garage when he intended to get back on it in a short while. The slowly opening garage door tested his nonexistent patience, but there wasn’t much he could do about it besides slipping inside under it. He quickly walked up to a big storage cabinet where he kept his tools to pack what he needed.

“OH, THERE YOU ARE.”, a loud and cheerful voice boomed from the side entrance to the house. “YOU’RE LEAVING TO WORK AGAIN, BROTHER?”

He turned his skull to look at Papyrus and let out a deep sigh that made him relax a little. “ **No. I’m going to fix Undyne’s roof this time.** ”, he blurted and resumed his packing in a less hectic manner.

“WOWIE! THAT’S GREAT. DO YOU WANT HELP WITH THAT?”, Papyrus’ voice was more proud than surprised, almost as if the skeleton was waiting for this to happen, but just wasn’t sure how long it would take.

“ **No. I have to do it myself.** ”, Edge shook his head.

The smile on the cheerful skeleton’s face got even wider and Edge didn’t have to guess what was going on in his ‘other’ brother’s head. He probably thought that there was a truce between him and Undyne, that this was a way to make amends to the fish monster. But that wasn’t the case. It was just a deal, one she was sure he wouldn’t be able to deliver. And Edge was planning to prove her wrong.

“IF YOU NEED ANY OTHER TOOLS YOU DON’T HAVE, FEEL FREE TO BORROW MINE.”, Papyrus was beaming.

“ **Right.** ”, he muttered in response and indeed grabbed a few more tools to take with him.

After double checking if he didn’t need anything else, Edge loaded everything to his motorcycle’s trunk, tieing those tools that were too big to fit in there to the metal handles on top of it. He rode hastily back to Undyne’s, hoping she would still be home - somehow he didn’t want to deal with her fiancée alone, however weird that sounded. He didn’t bother with leaving the motorcycle further away from the driveway this time and parked right in front of the fish monster’s garage. For a short while he could see her shocked face in the nearest window and it almost felt satisfying.

“What do you want _now_?”, she growled at him from the doorstep, leaning outside the house to have a clear view on the aggressive skeleton.

“ **Didn’t _you_ want me to fix your roof twenty minutes ago?** ”, he quirked his brow and allowed himself to smirk a little. The tools clanged in his arms when he was unloading the trunk. “ **I went back for my tools, since you don’t have any. It’s _pathetic_ to be so unprepared in this climate, you know?** ”

This was perhaps the first time Edge saw her speechless. She was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, unable to find any cocky remark this time. The skeleton used this moment to get past her and stepped inside the house, still smirking triumphantly. The look on her face was so worth it.

“Uh… okay.”, Undyne mumbled while glaring at the skeleton. “You better fix it right. I _will_ call Papyrus and tell him what you’re doing, so watch it!”

Edge eyed her finger that was pointing accusingly at him and resisted the chuckle that was building inside his chest. This was priceless. “ **He knows. There’s no need to tattle. But whatever floats your boat, fish.** ”

She needed a while to get that, but Edge was already looking around in search for the stairs. Her silent groan echoed in the corridor, while the skeleton climbed to the second floor to check the ceiling for the attic entrance. He found out that this house had a trapdoor with a ladder, which was a little more inconvenient than regular stairs, but something like that had never discouraged him before. He was the one doing all the repairs in the skeleton’s house in Snowdin, so fixing another roof was simple enough for him. Edge was even a little thrilled to try out his new tools - he bought them with his job in mind, but there wasn’t any opportunity to use half of them yet.

He began working as soon as he gauged how much damage was there after the storm and found out that Undyne actually lied to him. There were plenty useful tools around in the attic, but the skeleton refused to use any of them. He was dead set on showing the annoying fish monster that he’s capable of dealing with this on his own terms. Both Undyne and Alphys didn’t disturb him, though he sometimes felt their suspicious gazes on his back or noticed one of them checking on his progress now and then.

Finally, after an about hour, it seemed like everybody silently agreed that it was for the best to go around their own businesses. He heard Undyne leaving in a hurry, but didn’t pay any mind to that. It was her life, so it was up to her if she wanted to be late for work because of her suspicions. Edge just focused on doing what he did best - silently working on given task and making sure everything was done perfectly.

He rarely took a break, still set to finish as soon as possible, and he only did it to check his phone. Sans still didn’t answer him to his last text message about their upcoming conversation and that made him slightly anxious. There were a few moments when Edge considered calling his lazy brother to make sure they were on the same page with it, but ultimately discarded this idea every time.

He had to go out and climb the roof a few times to take care of the possible leakiness from that side, but most of the work had to be done from the inside. It all went smoothly, the damage being very small and only in a few places, but he knew already that he will have to come back tomorrow to continue. This thought didn’t fill him with optimism, but he sucked it up and carefully planned next steps in the repairs. There were even times he didn’t notice how much time has passed or that somebody left some bottled water and freshly prepared instant ramen noodles next to the ladder. Edge almost ignored it, feeling too proud to take advantage of one of the women’s hospitality, but ultimately decided to drink the water.

It was already late when he downed the rest of the drink while checking his phone again. There were some messages he failed to notice during work and a knot in his soul got tighter. He hesitated for a second, not entirely sure if he wants to see his brother’s response, but it wasn’t a time or place for such dilemmas. He almost growled in annoyance when the saw the messages were from you, but the content made him pause immediately.

 **The Human:** someone in my loft  
**The Human:** sounds drunk  
**The Human:** please come

No capital letters, no stupid nicknames, no punctuation. Every message was short as if hastily written to avoid wasting time. You said “ _please_ ”. You were calling him for help. His soul froze when he saw the timestamp - you wrote that about fifteen minutes ago and he didn’t hear it. When the first second of shock has passed, he tried calling you right away.

He was too focused on listening how this attempt met only a cold voice of the voicemail to notice that Undyne got home. Edge ended the call and tried again when the fish monster climbed the stairs to the second floor and called him by his name. He ignored her. His mind was filled with possible scenarios of what was going on with you during those fifteen minutes, each and every single one of them unpleasant. He didn’t have to be very imaginative to know what could have happened to Cindy if he didn’t intervene in time. And now your weak ass was Bart’s target.

“ **Pick up, pick up, pick up.** ”, he said to himself, but the voicemail woman answered again. “ **SHIT!** ”

“Edge, did you break som-”, Undyne was peeking into the attic when he jumped down, not bothering to use the ladder.

“ **Move it.** ”, he pushed her harshly away, his phone still in his hand. The fish monster was already scowling at him, but the look on skeleton’s face apparently was enough to make her shut up.

Edge left everything in Undyne’s house and ran outside to get to his motorcycle. He heard her yelling something at him from the door, but he focused on starting the engine and getting his vehicle on the street. He didn’t have time for anything else besides reaching your loft. He knew that he didn’t have time even for that.

This world was more dangerous than he previously thought. It made him lose his edge, made him believe in the false sense of security. It made him think that you were safe, because it was your world.  
And _you_ made him care about someone who was weak. _Fuck_.

The motorcycle growled angrily when he accelerated, hoping he won’t arrive too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger! I know! I'm horrible! I'll try to post next chapter a little faster, don't want to leave you all hanging for too long.
> 
> Since Toby said the band will choose it's name -[here's a poll for that](http://www.strawpoll.me/14094014) ! It was really hard to choose only a few names for the poll. All your ideas were interesting and cool and funny!
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.


	14. Twister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge is a knight on a shining motorcycle and saves the damsel in distress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised - you won't be hanging on the cliff too long, my beautiful Readers. Thank you SO MUCH for all the comments under all the chapters and especially the previous one and the kudos and bookmarks and... You're wonderful!
> 
> Let's see how Edge Lord deals with an unwanted drunken guest you've got.

 

Edge was speeding through the city, trying to quickly figure out the fastest way to your apartment. He was currently regretting the fact that he didn’t bother to explore Ebott City more - he was familiar with only a few main roads and the streets he walked on foot. He knew there were probably shorter routes, but he couldn’t risk getting lost now. He didn’t have even a second to spare. The roar of the engine beneath him didn’t soothe him this time. On the contrary, the skeleton’s soul was thrumming with anger and concern along with the frantic rhythm of the motorcycle’s metal heart.

He remembered quite vividly that Bart didn’t hesitate to hurt a stranger or even his own datemate, so the skeleton was pretty sure this drunken prick won’t hold back with you. If that even was Bart. Maybe it was somebody else. You told him once that the streets around your loft weren’t that safe, but he didn’t listen. This world wasn’t supposed to be this dangerous, right?

He was so occupied with getting to you and thinking about gruesome things he is going to see and do, that he didn’t even wonder why was it so important to him for you to be safe. There was no denying that you were his friend, no matter how the fuck that even happened, but still this was something new. He never had to rush like that to save anybody. In the Underground the nasty situations were either solved in a matter of dusty seconds or lasted long enough for everybody to acknowledge the pros and cons of attacking each other. It was kill or be killed, true, but a lot of monsters still preferred to live.

In the Underground no one would even touch you, because he was the Captain of the Royal Guard then. Back home, even a thought of angering him would make any monster think twice before harming a hair on your head. But he wasn’t the Great and Terrible Papyrus anymore. In this world he was a **nobody**.

The alleys were too narrow and too short to reach a reasonable speed, so Edge was swearing under his breath every now and then, while taking sharp turns not to lose any more time. He heard somebody yell something at him when he speeded past another smaller street, but he ignored it immediately. The skeleton still had good reflexes, so he was positive there was no chance he would hit anything on his way.

With a loud screech of the tires, he braked in front of your apartment building, the motorcycle sliding sideways on the puddles next to the pavement. The roar of the engine died instantly, the helmet got tossed on the ground and the skeleton was on his way upstairs already, taking three steps at a time to get there faster. The silence in the building only made his soul fill with more conflicted emotions. He made use of the magic that was impatiently building up in his body and summoned a large femur to use as a blunt weapon.

Edge knew he can’t kill a human, even while defending somebody - he was still a monster in the human world. But he sure as hell wanted to break some legs right now. His grip on the magic bone club tightened as he approached the door to your loft. The skeleton slowed down his urgent step not to walk into a fight unprepared and noticed that the door were slightly ajar, with the lock intact.

The focused frown deepened on the skeleton’s face as he pushed the door with the tip of the bone to look inside. Before he got a clear view of your living room, he heard your steady voice.

“… to call the police.”, your tone was audibly aggressive. “I said stay the fuck where you are! I will smack you again, I swear to God!”

Edge entered your apartment with caution, not entirely sure he heard correctly. Upon seeing the scene in front of him, he lowered his weapon and for a few seconds just stared. He absent-mindedly felt his magic dissipate from his hand.

You seemed unharmed - that was the first thing his shocked mind noticed - and in your pajamas. But more important, you had a tennis racket in both of your hands, ready to use as if you were in the middle of a match. Your phone was lying on the floor, right next to your bare foot, plugged to the nearby socket. A small lamp was lying not far from you, smashed to pieces that were currently littering the carpet.

Your full attention was focused on a person sitting in the shadow of the far corner of the living room. They were clutching their skull with one hand and reaching out towards you in a somewhat placating gesture.

“ **Okay, okay… Easy there, you fuckin’ _lunatic_ … m’ not movin’**.”, the short skeleton mumbled and the lights in his eye sockets moved to look straight at Edge.

You noticed that and carefully glanced behind you while your hands gripped the racket’s handle tighter. Your expression filled with determination and resolve softened the moment you laid your eyes on the tall skeleton.

“Edge! You came, you have no i-”, you breathed with relief, but he was already looking at his brother.

“ **Sans…?** ”, he called. He didn’t have to, honestly, he knew it was his lazy brother the moment he saw his form in the corner, but there was still disbelief in his voice.

“Oh.”, you finally lowered your impromptu weapon and stepped back a little. “You... know that guy?”

“ **b-boss…?** ”, Sans answered and paled - if it was possible for somebody made entirely out of bare bones - seeing his brother scowl at him from the door. “ **I can… I can explain th-** ”

“ **SHUT UP!** ”, Edge bellowed at him immediately. This day, this situation was too much for him. He turned his head sharply to look at you, unable to contain his emotions anymore. He flailed his hands angrily. “ **OF COURSE I DO! HE’S MY _BROTHER_! AND A SKELETON MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU NOT MAKE THAT CONNECTION?!** ”

You frowned and pursed your lips for a moment. Something in his soul told him he didn’t like this expression on your face, but he didn’t care this time. All his thoughts were now running towards his brother, who seemed to be the real damsel in distress here. Edge was torn between being glad you’re fine and worrying about why Sans was even at your place.

“Well, _excuse me_ for trying to _not_ be a racist and _not_ assuming that somehow all the magical skeletons are related.”, you raised your voice slightly and pointed at Sans with your racket, making him flinch. “He somehow _failed_ to introduce himself, you know? What the fuck is he doing here?”

Edge was on his way to his stupid brother already and ignored your last question, eager to get the answer for that himself. He kneeled in front of the smaller skeleton and seized him by his gray hoodie with one hand. There was a strong scent of grease, mustard and alcohol around Sans. Great.

“ **Sans? _Look_ at me, you miserable mutt!** ”, he shook his brother slightly and grabbed his wrist to pull his hand away from the skull - he wanted to be able to stare into both of his eye sockets. Then Edge noticed a small crack on his left brow bone and a faint grid impression on his right zygomatic bone. “ **... you’re hurt?** ”

The smaller skeleton tried to struggle and free his hand, but Edge was holding his wrist in a tight grip. Sans looked away while clenching his sharp teeth. “ **‘m fine…** ”

The tall skeleton snapped his head to look over his shoulder straight at you. You dared to lay a finger on his brother. He felt anger pulsing in his soul when he glared at you. “ **YOU _HIT_ HIM WITH THAT!?** ”

You bit your lip and after one swift movement the tennis racket you were holding landed on the couch with a soft pat. “What was I supposed to do? Make him _tea_?”, you shot at him confidently, unfazed by his death stare, though he noticed you weren’t happy about that either.

Somehow, this made him pause for a moment and regain control over his fury. You were well within your rights to defend yourself and your home, but still… it angered him to see his brother hurt - he was supposed to be safe in this world after all, that’s what the other skeletons promised. It pissed him off to find Sans here too, shitfaced and making you feel threatened enough to call for help or even fight. His head was beginning to hurt.

“ **Whatever.** ”, he barked at you and turned his head to look at Sans again. “ **What are you doing here, you idiot?!** ”

It was truly a miracle that Sans didn’t use any magic on you - maybe there was still a sober part in his mind that remembered about the consequences of touching a human soul with it. Perhaps he tried but nothing significant happened? That alone wasn’t a cheerful thought. The smaller skeleton’s abilities always got a bit wonky when he was drunk, that’s why he wasn’t drinking at all for the past few months… or that’s what Edge thought. Seeing him like that now made his soul sink.

The smaller skeleton hunched his shoulders, his head was slightly swaying. “ **Just checkin’ who are ya workin’ for, boss… ya didn’t tell me _anythin’_... but I know those gangs are ruthless and-** ”

“ _ **Gangs?**_ ”, Edge asked and raised his bone brows in surprise. He didn’t fail to notice that Sans called him ‘boss’ again and it hurt.

“ _Gangs?_ ”, you asked at the same time, with the same tone.

The drunk skeleton looked already nervous when was grabbed, but hearing your and Edge’s question made him fidget even more. “ **W-well… you… uh…** ”, he mumbled, unable to gather his thoughts. “ **Oh...** ”

There was a tense silence in the living room for a longer moment. The only sound echoing in those four walls was a low ticking of the clock that was hanging over Sans’ head.

“ **You thought… I was... working... for the mob…?** ”, the tall skeleton asked very slowly, trying to wrap his head around what he has just heard. This was just plain crazy. This whole situation was so utterly insane he really didn’t have the faintest idea how to deal with it. That’s why Sans was here? To gauge his new employer? And what would that accomplish?

“ **Y-yeah…?** ”, Sans tried to smile apologetically, but he only managed to grimace.

Your muffled laughter was what finally allowed Edge to snap out of the shock he was in. He heard a low creaking of the couch, indicating that you sat down and tried to calm yourself down. Your attempts failed, because he still heard you giggling into your pajamas’ sleeve. At least you were fine if you were able to laugh at this like that. Despite this reassuring fact, Edge still felt tension both in his soul and in his body, almost as if he was still expecting to fight… someone.

“ _ **Why?**_ ”, he asked in a careful tone, staring at his brother’s face.

“ **Why…? Are ya _serious_ , boss?**”, Edge resisted the urge to flinch at this name and focused on what the smaller skeleton was babbling. “ **Ya suddenly come up with _loads_ of money, y-your clothes are all ripped and… I _know_ how ya act after a fight!** ”, Sans’ voice got louder the more ‘evidence’ he dished up. “ **Ya even did laundry in the _middle of the night_! Ya said you were _cleanin’_! Do you know how that sounds?!** ”

“ **What are y- ... I am cleaning! I fucking mop the floors! _That’s_ what I’m doing!** ”, Edge growled angrily and pointed his bony thumb in your direction, without looking over his shoulder again. The tall skeleton was really grateful that you finally stopped laughing and didn’t do anything to interfere with their conversation. He wouldn’t be able to deal with two people at once now and he needed all his focus to stay in control of his emotions.

“ **But… if that’s all… why didn’tcha tell me sooner, boss…? _Why_ all the cryptic shit and secrets?** ”, his brother was staring at him with his eye sockets wide and his gaze was slightly unfocused.

Something finally snapped in Edge and he rose to his feet, dragging his brother with him. The smaller skeleton’s feet dangled in the air as he helplessly hung in his gray hoodie the angry skeleton was holding.

“ **BECAUSE I WAS _EMBARRASSED_ , ALRIGHT!?**”, he yelled straight into Sans’ face. “ **I WAS _THE_ FUCKING _CAPTAIN_ AT HOME BUT NOW I’M FRIENDS WITH HUMANS AND I TAKE OUT THEIR FUCKING TRASH!** ”

There was a tense moment of silence again and Edge could swear this time even you held your breath when the heavy meaning of his words rang in the air. Sans went limp in his grasp, still staring at him with his eye lights small and barely visible.

After a few annoying tick-tocks of the clock, the taller skeleton hung his head and let out an angry sigh before saying in a hoarse but low voice, “ **This is pointless now. You’re drunk.** ”

“ **But boss…** ”, Sans tried to say something, but Edge didn’t let him get another word out.

“ **SHUT. THE FUCK. _UP_.** ”, he growled menacingly while pulling him closer to his face. The reek of alcohol was making him furious, but listening to the ‘boss’ thing made his chest swell with strange pain.

Fortunately, the small skeleton didn’t try to speak again, so Edge tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Though the way he did it meant that the potatoes were very dear to him, as his arms wrapped around the limp body in a slightly protective manner. He stood like that for a moment before turning towards you.

You were sitting on the couch, not looking at the skeletons at all. The tennis racket was back in your hands and you were fiddling with the handle in a rather awkward way, your brows furrowed a little as if you were deep in thought. The tall skeleton hesitated before deciding what should he say to you, weighing his options as carefully as his reeling mind was capable of.

“ **Human…** ”, Edge began to get your attention and continued in a low voice as soon as you raised your head to look at him. “ **...can you do me a favor and refrain from reporting this to your law enforcement?** ”

The way you looked at him, with your expression perfectly blank and unreadable was unnerving. Somehow he always roughly knew what mood were you in around him, but now… he couldn’t tell. The skeleton was holding your gaze and patiently waiting for your verdict, but his thoughts began to turn grim very quickly. Would this situation be too much for you? Was this when you were going to draw the line and decide to do the ‘lawful’ thing, despite all your previous craziness? Edge gripped the fabric of his brother’s hoodie tighter.

“ _Kay~._ ” Finally, you breathed loudly and leaned back on the couch. “But you owe me, big guy.”

If it was somebody else in any other situation, this sentence would make him riled up again. He hated owing anybody and the mere thought he was supposed to do something for other people because of that made him sick. This kind of commitment was often dangerous, because he never knew what fucked up thing the other side could be planning with this deal in mind. But this time he felt nothing at all, because it was you… or maybe because he was just too exhausted to care.

There was also something in the way you called him “ _big guy_ ” that got to him almost as hard as your currently nonexistent smile and he felt assured that you won’t try to abuse this debt.

“ **This goes without saying.** ”, he grumbled in response and started walking towards the metal door.

“Goodnight, Edge.”, you called after him and the tone of your voice made him turn around to look at you again.

Despite the fact you managed to pacify his brother in a rather effective way, he noticed that now you looked so frail, wearing only your pajamas and holding the tennis racket in one of your hand. You were eyeing him with that blank expression of yours, devoid of the smile he was always looking for and it occurred to him, that you must have been really scared throughout the whole ordeal. He didn’t see the fear in your eyes though.

“ **You should lock the door properly behind us...** ”, he said frozen in place and turned his head to tear his gaze away from you. He remembered about the broken lamp and frowned. Weren’t you barefoot right now? “ **I will be back in the morning to clean this mess.** ”

“ _No no no._ I got it.”, you said quickly. Too quickly. “It’s _my_ lousy swinging that threw the lamp on the floor anyways.”

He looked at you again and maintained eye contact for a while. Nothing. He finally nodded slowly and corrected the way his brother was hanging on his shoulder. “ **As you wish, human.** ”, he muttered and left.

He walked slowly in silence until he heard the door locking behind him. There were also a few low clangs that meant you did what he suggested. With a sigh, he reached the stairs and began descending. His footsteps echoed in the silent apartment building and pretty much drowned every “dumb mongrel” and “drunken scum” Edge mumbled towards the drunken body he was carrying. Sans was smart enough to stay quiet until they reached the motorcycle.

The tall skeleton needed to kneel to pick up the helmet he had hastily tossed on the ground and then straddled the motorcycle, setting his brother in the front. Sans was facing him, his head hanging low enough for Edge not to see his expression.

“ **Grab onto me and don’t let go or I will _drag_ your lazy ass on asphalt all the way home, you pathetic piece of shit.** ”, he growled at his older brother while putting the only helmet on Sans’ head.

“ **yes, boss…** ”, the smaller skeleton obeyed and dug his fingers into the leather jacket in front of him. The word he used again felt like a sharp slap on the cheekbone.

“ **What happened to you, Sans…?** ”, he asked in a softer tone while cupping his brother’s face to force him to look him in the eye sockets. “ **You were doing so well. Far better than me.** ”

“ **‘m sorry, boss.** ”, Sans didn’t dare to even look at him, still keeping his gaze low and submissive.

It hurt to hear that again. He wasn’t his ‘ _boss_ ’ anymore, he was his brother, younger one at that. They had already agreed to leave this stupid facade behind, because they were free on the Surface now and…

The sudden thought that filled Edge’s mind made him shudder. It was so painfully obvious to him now, that he was shocked he didn’t see that earlier - _they never left the Underground_. Despite the changes, all the friends, jobs, both this world’s Sans and Papyrus caring for them... despite being relatively safe here, they were still trapped behind the Barrier. They were still fighting to survive in a grim place where the world spun around “kill or be killed” motto. Both of them.

Sans needed him to be safe, because his little brother was all he had. It was more important to him than anything else, even his own life at times. And Edge…? He was acting like always, yelling, demanding, being needlessly aggressive to keep any danger at bay. It was the familiar shtick they were repeating over and over for most of their lives. Nothing’s changed.

Edge cocked his head to have a better look at his brother’s face and didn’t like what he saw. The taller skeleton’s bone brows knit tightly in worry as he brushed his thumb on Sans’ hurt cheekbone, making him wince a little. “ **We talked about it. Don’t call me that.** ”, he chided him softly.

Sans leaned towards him and rested the rim of the helmet on his brother’s chest. “ **‘m sorry…** ”

The pang of guilt made Edge unable to move for a longer while, but this accomplished nothing. He fastened the helmet properly on his brother’s head and pulled him closer to himself, to ensure he won’t fall off the motorcycle during the drive.

“ **We’re going home.** ”, Edge whispered before starting the engine and pressed his cheekbone to the side of the helmet in front of him.

“ **...kay.** ”, Sans mumbled softly, but it was already drowned by the roar of the metal beast they were sitting on.

* * *

 

He was driving very carefully, not to endanger the drunken brother at any cost, but that wasn’t necessary. Sans was clinging to him the whole way back home and not once relaxed his grip - Edge checked a few times by moving a little away. That didn’t mean the taller skeleton stopped being cautious.

Edge was still tense when he parked in the driveway and felt that the whole day’s worth of exhaustion was finally catching up to him. The smaller skeleton tried to get off the motorcycle and walk by himself, but he didn’t let him. He pulled Sans back closer to his chest without a word and waited for the garage door to open. They both were silent as Edge brought the motorcycle inside the garage and stood up.

Sans was avoiding his gaze when his younger brother took his helmet off and hung it on the handgrip. The garage door began closing with an irritating clatter just as Edge picked up the drunken skeleton again and got inside the house through the side door. He didn’t even try to be stealthy, so no wonder Papyrus immediately peeked from the living room. It was late enough to suspect that he was up because of them.

“EDGE!”, he said with a clearly worried tone. “UNDYNE CALLED AND SHE… OH.”, he noticed that the angry skeleton was carrying somebody and frowned even more. “IS HE ALRIGHT? SHOULD I CALL AN AMBULANCE?”

Something made Edge put his hand on the back of the smaller skeleton’s skull in a protective gesture and then shake his own head slightly. “ **He’s drunk and slightly battered… nothing that won’t heal.** ”, he explained with a tired voice.

“I SEE.”, Papyrus wrapped his arms around himself while eyeing the two skeletons. “IT’S NOT _JUST_ THAT, IS IT?”

Damn this monster and his sharp eye - it was a curse sometimes, especially in moments like this. Edge closed his eye sockets for a moment and let out a deep sigh to gather his resolve. Of course there was much more to this, but he had no energy to explain it to his cheerful new brother.

“ **Not now, Papyrus.** ”, he growled lowly. “ **Tomorrow.** ”

Edge silently prayed to the stars that this time he would let him off the hook and allow him to deal with the mess that his brother currently was. He knew he was unnecessarily aggressive towards him, but he really REALLY didn’t have the strength for this. Somehow the stars listened to his silent pleading and Papyrus moved a little to make way for both of them.

“ALRIGHT… I’LL BE HERE IF YOU NEED ANYTHING.”, he said quietly and was already reaching for his phone.

Edge guessed that he was going to call Undyne or the other Sans to tell them that both edgy skeletons arrived home and are mostly unharmed. He was like that, this Papyrus, always looking out for everybody. There was still worry in his eye sockets as he glanced at them from the spot he was standing on and Edge felt his concerned stare on his back all the way upstairs.

“ **‘m sorry…** ”, Sans mumbled under his breath when the taller skeleton was carrying him to his room, but Edge didn’t answer.

He rarely entered his older brother’s room, respecting his privacy and trying to avoid seeing the mess that was inside - it was always unbearable to see and it irritated him even on his best days. Edge pushed the door open with his boot and went straight for the bed, not bothering to turn on the lights. He stepped on something soft on the way there - probably some dirty clothing his brother rarely bothered to pick up more often than once a week.

“ **I just…** ”, Sans continued in a low voice as he sat him on the edge of the bed. “ **I thought I was losin’ ya, bro… Ya didn’t… didn’t tell me what’s goin’ on with ya…** ”

Edge’s mind was somewhere else, only half focused on what his brother was saying. The room was dark, but he still was able to see what his hands were doing while unzipping the smaller skeleton’s hoodie and taking it off. He moved slowly, carefully extracting Sans’ hands from the soft sleeves. The other skeleton didn’t resist at all.

“ **I… I thought ya might get hurt, Paps…** ”, Sans’ voice trembled a little and that made Edge finally look at him, but only for a short while. His older brother’s eye sockets were open wide and the eye lights were but a little pinpricks. “ **You’re my lil bro… and you were… there. Somewhere. Alone.** ”

Edge _knew_ that. He knew all of that already. He scared the shit out of his brother with his secrecy, with spending time with Papyrus, with all his disappearing to spend time with you and your miserable lot, with lying about one storm and spending the other in your arms. He clenched his teeth and focused on untying the shoelaces of Sans’ trainers.

“ **But… but ya didn’t want my help.** ”, the smaller skeleton continued with an audible lump in his proverbial throat. “ **I panicked. You… you know how I get when I’m like that…** ”

He knew that too, but he allowed Sans to talk without interruption. Edge needed to hear that, to feel all the shit he did to him at once. They were supposed to talk about it sooner but he kept postponing it indefinitely, like a coward he always was. He should have barged into the room the same evening he heard his brother’s trembling voice behind the door. It was _all_ his fault now. He decided he would end it this night and they are going to have that damned conversation.

The trainers fell on the floor with a soft thump and the socks landed on them a short while later. Then he moved Sans’ legs to lay them on the bed and tossed the covers over his smaller body. Just as he was trying to walk out of the room, he felt a tight grip on his forearm.

“ **Don’t go, bro… please… ‘m sorry…** ”, his brother pleaded. “ **I fucked up again, I know… _‘m sorry_ …**”

“ **I’ll be back in a minute.** ”, he murmured and pulled his arm to set it free from the desperate clutch, but Sans didn’t let him go.

“ _ **I promise.**_ ”, Edge looked straight at his brother and after a while, the death grip on his forearm loosened enough for him to finally move away from the bed.

He walked outside and went straight to his own room, ignoring a silent conversation he heard that was coming from downstairs. Seems like the other Sans came back home too. Edge entered his room and didn’t even reach for the light switch. He didn’t need light to find what he was looking for and after only a few moments he was already holding a crudely knit sweater in his hand.

He planned on redoing this one, because it didn’t look as well as he hoped for. It was true that he managed to knit all of it on his first attempt, but being the perfectionist he always was, he needed to make it better. It was for his brother after all. It was too late for that right now, so he folded the hopeless piece of garment in his hands and went back to his brother’s room.

Sans was sitting on the edge of the bed again, sheets tossed away they almost fell on the ground. It looked like he was on his way to get up and look for his younger brother, despite the promise he heard nearly a minute ago. The taller skeleton grimaced a little seeing this, but wasn’t entirely surprised it happened, so he said nothing as he sat right next to Sans, feeling his brother’s knee touch his long femur.

Edge was silent for a moment, staring at the red sweater in his hands that looked almost black due to the lack of light in the room. He knew his brother was staring at him and waiting for him to say something.

“ **Here.** ”, the taller skeleton finally said and handed him the knit garment with a defeated sigh. “ **I wanted to make another, better one. But I guess there’s no point in making you wait that long anymore.** ”

At first, Sans didn’t move at all and another tense while of silence hung in the air until it was almost unbearable. But then he moved slowly and dug his phalanges into the sweater.

“ **Y… you made it for me…?** ”, he whispered.

“ **Yes, Sans.** ”, Edge dared to look at him, but turned his gaze away immediately upon seeing that his brother was staring straight at him.

After another deep breath the taller skeleton began talking. “ **You are _my_ brother. My big dumb brother. And _nothing_ is going to change that.** ” It was probably the darkness in the room, wrapping them both like a thick blanket, that allowed him to finally speak what he had in mind. The sweater in his brother’s hands reminded him of that silly scarf he used to wear all the time in the Underground. “ **I remember _every little thing_ you did for me… no matter how cheesy or stupid or… dangerous it was. I do.** ”

Edge was really trying to sound like he was apologizing and thanking him at the same time. It was too hard for him to utter those easy sentences, so he needed to settle for this… pathetic detour. He prepped his scarred hands on his knees and tried to keep them steady and relaxed.

“ **I always wanted to... be like you. Especially here.** ”, the taller skeleton admitted after a second of hesitation. “ **To deal with this _stupid_ world on my own already, let you have your life back.** ”

He scoffed at himself and rubbed the back of his skull with his hand. It wasn’t going at all as he planned. All the things he wanted to say escaped him the moment he started talking and that void was filled with something else. Memories - bad and good ones.

“ **You took care of my sorry ass ever since I remember.** “, Edge frowned when the meaning of his words hit him and lifted his gaze to look at his brother. “ **Did you… did you even _have_ a childhood when you made sure I had everything I needed?** ”

Sans was staring at him, his teeth slightly apart from puzzlement, but at least his eye lights were much bigger and focused. After a few slow blinks, he shut his mouth and growled with annoyance as if the topic was brought up a milion times.

“ **‘s not like our world allowed us to ha-** ”, he started, but Edge interrupted him before he managed to finish his thought.

“ **Bullshit! _I_ had one! _You_ gave me my childhood!** ”, the taller skeleton raised his voice not caring that the other housemates might hear that. He lowered his tone though when he noticed, that it made Sans tense and hunch his shoulders. “ **It wasn’t perfect, we both know that too well, but… I appreciate that, Sans.** ”

“ **So…** ”, Edge reached towards his brother’s head and knocked on the top of it with his knuckles. ” **... _stop_ being such a dense numbskull, I know you’re smarter than that.** ”

“ **Ow…** ”, the smaller skeleton grumbled at this and covered his skull with his hands. Sans cast him a slightly annoyed look that they both knew wasn’t serious.

Edge’s expression softened a little. “ **Just… have a life already?** ”, he couldn’t help the pleading tone in his voice.

Sans was about to say something, but Edge interrupted him again, almost sure what he was about to hear. “ ** _Not_ without me, I’m not going anywhere. But maybe _next_ to me?** ”, he felt himself smirk a little. “ **We’re grown ups for fuck’s sake, we should act like it.** ”

“ **Okay… I’ll try.** ”, the smaller skeleton stopped rubbing his head and allowed his hands to fall onto his lap. His fingers immediately dug into the soft sweater again as if it was his safety blanket.

This time the silence was almost pleasant - it reminded him of those long hours they sat together in the dark when they didn’t have money to pay the bills and talked about some crazy shit. Sans would come up with insane stories, while Edge would angrily try to prove that all of them weren’t true. They would fight a little after one too many puns, laugh when they got tangled in their thin holey blanket and then fall asleep next to each other. They had been small and weak then, both of them just children in the cold, unforgiving world. But somehow they still had managed to have nice memories.

“ **‘m still forgettin’ how smart and cool ya are.** ”, Edge heard his brother mumble under his breath.

“ **Shut up.** ”, he growled in response, but at this moment he didn’t mean the nasty tone he always used. ” **Flattery won’t help you _this time_.** ”

Sans chuckled lowly and rubbed the sweater with his thumb. After a thoughtful hum he lifted his head to look at his brother. “ **I like it…** ”

Edge rolled his eye lights and crossed his arms while looking away. “ **It’s pathetic.** ”

“ **I _like_ it.** ”, Sans said in a more insistent tone and the taller skeleton felt a nudge on his ribs. He scoffed at that, but he couldn’t help a small smile appearing on his face.

“ **so… we’re good?** ”, his brother’s voice sounded hopeful.

“ **Of course not!** ”, Edge immediately turned to glare at him and stood up, looming over the smaller skeleton menacingly. He raised his hands in an annoyed gesture, “ **I’m still… I’m not sure _what_ I am at you. I have no idea right now.** ”

Sans cowered a little, but since the tall skeleton wasn’t raising his voice anymore, he said nothing and waited for more to come.

“ **You didn’t believe a _word_ I said, thought I was working for the fucking _mob_...** ”, Edge began to list what happened during those past few weeks, outstretching a finger after every single thing he mentioned. “ **...got drunk and _broke_ into my friend’s apartment and, last but not least, got your butt kicked by a fucking _human_!** ”

Edge leaned over him menacingly after the last part, his hands in an exasperated gesture stopped right before he grabbed his brother’s shirt.

The small skeleton hunched a little and tried to smile apologetically. This time he managed to do just that. “ **That last part is kinda funny...?** ”

“ **NO! IT’S PATHETIC! WHAT IF YOU WERE RIGHT, YOU IMBECILE!?** ”, the tall skeleton bellowed. “ **WHAT IF YOU GOT HURT OR WORSE, _DUSTED_!?** ”

Sans frowned and pointed at his face right before answering in a whining tone. “ **I _am_ hurt!** ”

“ **Give me a break!** ”, Edge huffed at that dismissively and straightened himself. It was getting back to normal, their usual banter and all. But something felt different in a good way despite that. “ **____ is not that strong or hateful to really hurt your sorry ass! And you _deserved_ that one!** ”

The small skeleton looked at the finger that was pointed at his chest and cocked his head a little before lifting his head up to look at his brother’s angry face. “ **Uh… right. I hope I didn’t ruin what’cha had with that human, bro…** ”

This comment made Edge pause for a second and he felt his chest tighten a little. You did react really oddly to the whole situation. The part where you smacked his brother and made him cower in the corner was something entirely normal (if bizarre) when it came to your weird behavior, but after that… Edge really didn’t like what he saw in your expression.

“ **____ is much weirder than you think and will probably forget about this in a few days.** ”, he scoffed despite his thoughts, trying to reassure himself more than his brother.

“ **Heh.** ”, Sans chuckled and finally relaxed enough to lie on his back, his legs hanging from the edge of the bed.

“ **What now?** ”, the tall skeleton asked in a slightly annoyed tone. His normal tone.

“ **Nothin’**.”, his brother had his shit-eating grin back on his face. “ **Ya still have the coolest friends, bro. Even here.** ”

Edge frowned a little and prepped his hands on his hipbones. “ **You think… that ______ is cool?** ”, he asked slowly.

The small skeleton pressed his hand to his injured brow bone and mumbled a swear under his breath. “ **Come on, bro. That human totally manhandled me with a _tennis racket_. Who the fuck _does_ shit like that?** ”

Edge smirked a little at this remark. He was right about you - it takes some serious gut to actually choose attacking instead of fleeing when it came to dealing with monsters such as his brother. It wasn’t a secret that humans have a rather wild imagination when it came to skeletons and zombies, and all the stupid movies he saw confirmed that your kind was both terrified and fascinated with them. You didn’t run, you choose to hit the walking skeleton with the first thing you had in your reach. It made Edge feel strangely proud of you, however bad it ended for his dumb brother.

“ **If your friends are the ones that allowed you to get drunk and left you to do something this _stupid_ , then my human has no competition at all.**”, the tall skeleton answered in a sharp and boisterous tone.

“ ** _Your_ human?** ”, Sans raised his bone brows and hissed when the injury reminded of itself again.

Edge cleared his proverbial throat and looked away. “ **… you know what I mean.** ”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt really awkward and since the air between the skeleton brothers seemed to be cleared for now, there was no need to prolong their heart-to-heart cheesy talk. The tall skeleton grabbed the edge of the sheets that was lying on the floor and tossed it over his brother’s head. He was glad that the light was off, because he felt his magic creep up onto his cheekbones.

“ **You should rest. We _will_ deal with the rest of your fuckup tomorrow.** ”, Edge grumbled and walked hurriedly towards the door.

“ **Paps…?** ”, Sans called in a soft tone and it immediately attracted the taller skeleton’s attention. “ **I love ya, bro…** ”

Edge had his hand on the doorknob already when he froze. He slowly turned to look at the bed. His brother was sitting on it again, but this time his feet were under the covers. The eyelights in his intense and sincere stare were clearly visible from where the tall skeleton was standing. He knew that Sans was waiting for him to respond, hope clear in his gaze, but… Edge felt broken. He knew what he should say, but the words couldn’t go past his sharp teeth, no matter how hard he tried. It was obvious to him, he was unable to say another short sentence to somebody who deserved it. How were the other Sans and Papyrus doing it was beyond his comprehension - he heard them say something so simple and so important almost every day. Yet he couldn’t.

“ **I know.** ”, he said cautiously, hoping that this will work as well as the real one.

Sans perked up at this, a small smile appearing on his tired face. “ **… thought ya hated those movies.** ”

That was all Edge needed right now. Seeing his brother smile like that filled his soul with a warm sensation that was rarely there. He felt that he was smiling back, even if only a little.

“ **I still do. But _you_ like them.** ”, he answered while shaking his head slowly. His brother chuckled in that free, honest way and the taller skeleton remembered how carefree his laugh could be. He missed that. “ **Go to sleep, you idiot.** ”, Edge grumbled the insult half-heartedly and closed the door behind him.

He lingered a little longer at the doorstep, considering a silly idea of getting back inside and sharing the bed with his brother, but quickly decided against it. It was stupid and far too weird to do that. Especially now, when they were this old. Besides, this day was too emotionally exhausting and it was better for the both of them to get some space before dealing with the rest of what happened. Edge absent-mindedly brushed his phalanges on the surface of the door before stepping away from them and shuffling tiredly to his room.

The skeleton felt utterly drained, but there was still a tension wrapped around his very soul he couldn’t quite understand. He was trying to figure out what was the reason he was unable to finally fall asleep, but nothing came to his tired mind. He just stared at his ceiling, too exhausted to be even mad about it.

With a low grumble he turned to his side and reached for the phone that he left on the nightstand next to the bed. If he couldn’t sleep, he could as well try to figure out how this annoying device worked. His mind was set on dealing with the notification sounds and turning them back on - it was a grave mistake on his part that he made you turn them off. Edge had to squint his eye sockets when the light from the small screen illuminated his face, but he quickly adjusted to the sudden brightness. There were unread messages. From you.

His bony thumb hovered over the button that would allow him to read them, but he hesitated, the tension in his soul coiling tighter. Were you going to tell him to fuck off? It wouldn’t be that surprising, he endangered you in a way, making his brother go to your loft in the night, drunk and dangerous. He also yelled things he regretted right in front of you, said he’s embarrassed of being friends with humans. Being your friend. You got really quiet and withdrawn after that, so maybe… maybe he hurt you? Seems like lately he was good only at one thing and that was bringing trouble and pain to people that seemed to care about him. There weren’t that many, but he still behaved like an asshole. Or worse.

Maybe you weren’t that scared or mad at him though? There was a chance you really were too weird to hold a grudge or even be truly disturbed by this fucked up situation. He did rush to you as soon as he read your messages, so perhaps this could make you think it wasn’t that bad? There was a faint glimmer of hope in his soul, but he was reluctant to let it get bigger. His hopes were often betrayed and his dreams weren’t as good as they seemed when they finally came true.

Edge was lost so lost in thought he didn’t notice that the screen of his phone went dark to preserve the battery and he was blankly staring at the device in his hand. He shook his head slightly and tapped the button to make the screen come back to life. He was blinded by the light again, but when he finally could focus on the phone, he saw that his action opened the messages he received from you. His eyes began greedily reading before he managed to control himself.

**The Human:** Resurrected my phone finally.  
**The Human:** Hope your brother is OK. I didn’t mean to hurt him.  
**The Human:** Well. I did mean to hurt him, but I didn’t mean to HURT him.  
**The Human:** Does that make sense? Maybe not.  
**The Human:** Oh! And you totally should call me don ______ Corleone from now on!

He pressed the phone to his forehead and let out a slow, deep sigh. And then, surprising even himself, he began to chuckle. His stifled laugh got louder the longer it lasted. Simultaneously, he felt the tension leave his chest, a sudden lightness in his soul attracting all his attention. Almost as if the last heavy stone lying on his ribcage was lifted and he could finally breathe again. He tried to muffle his nervous laughter with his hand, but ultimately allowed it to unabashedly fill his room. Even a cautious knocking on the door wasn’t able to make the lightness go away.

“uh… dude… are you alright?”, he heard the other Sans’ voice behind his door and finally managed to calm down a little. It was too fucking stupid to behave like that, but at this moment he was too tired and too oddly happy to really care.

“ **Yes… I’ll be fine.** ”, he managed between the chuckles, believing those words.

He will be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> We're slowly getting close to the audition and our edgy skeleton will need a piece to perform (I mean ROCK) to show how amazing he is. I do have one little music piece for him to try, but one is not enough to dazzle the judges and I wonder if you have any lovely ideas what else could he play on his violin? 
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.


	15. Rain or Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The skeleton household deals with the previous night and Edge gets his violin back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! The poll has been up for a while now, for most of the time The Unnamed was winning... and then after a tie, The Miserable Lot won. Guess now Edge will have to deal with the fact that your band is named after how he called you and your friends - it won't be an insult now! Oh well!
> 
> Thank you for all your comments, my beautiful Readers!

The morning came later than usual, as Edge and Sans were allowed to sleep in almost until noon. The other two skeletons probably heard at least half of their yelling through the night and reached to their own, mostly correct, conclusions. That also meant there was no escaping some serious explanations when the day finally started. Edge wasn’t really eager to leave his room and face the world, still a bit tired and emotionally drained after everything that happened, but he didn’t have much of a choice. The audition was scheduled for tomorrow evening and he still hasn’t managed to retrieve his violin from the fish monster’s clutches.

They rarely ate breakfast with the other two skeletons, though Papyrus was _very_ insistent they spent at least one meal a week together. Seemed like this week it will be a silent and tense first meal of the day, with atmosphere heavy with nervous anticipation. All of them knew there was no escaping the serious conversation this time - too much happened to be just swept under the rug like they often did. Even with his older brother suffering from hangover.

Edge took care of the dishes without a word, leaving his poor brother at the table to at least try to dull the headache with some pills. Getting him a glass of cold water for breakfast seemed to work a little, but now he was glaring at the plate filled with crackers as if they murdered his hamster. The air in the kitchen was so tense even he felt the stiffness in his shoulders. Somebody had to say something first, yet nobody was eager to do so.

“so…”, the other Sans began with hesitation clear in his voice. “you guys wanna share with us or somethin’?”

Both Edge and his brother let out a deep and unhappy sigh, almost simultaneously. He put the last clean plate on the drying rack and turned around to lean on the counter behind him. He crossed his arms tightly on his chest, anxiously tapping his phalanges on his humerus. The tall skeleton noticed that Papyrus was now standing next to the door, with both his hands on his hips and a stern look on his usually cheerful face. It occurred to Edge that he was subtly blocking the only way out of the room on purpose, making it impossible to avoid ‘ _the talk_ ’. All of them had to stay and face the music, so to speak.

Explaining the whole absurd situation took some time, as both Edge and his suffering brother reluctantly told their sides of the story, avoiding the details of their cheesy talk. The whole ordeal got a tad longer, because the ‘original’ Sans couldn’t stop howling with laughter when the tale reached a rather surprising encounter with you and your tennis racket. Even Papyrus’ disapproving glare did very little to control his brother’s outburst, so he was ordered to leave the kitchen until he calmed down. The stifled chuckles that reached them from the living room didn’t help the tense atmosphere even one bit and Edge’s brother was glaring daggers at the door the whole time, magic flushing his face from embarrassment.

When the last words of their explanations rang in the air, the whole kitchen went silent for a while.

“If I understand correctly, Red… You broke into a human’s apartment to snoop around while being inebriated. This will have serious repercussions. We can’t afford monsters to be seen as an uncontrolled threat.”, Papyrus’ voice was unnervingly soft and it made both guilty brothers to shrink a little.

The atmosphere surrounding the four skeletons got even heavier. The cheerful skeleton’s voice _rarely_ got this low and quiet, which indicated he was truly disappointed. He was always pretty loud, so even while he was yelling in irritation, everybody knew he didn’t mean it. But now? Edge was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of it this time, though he still was certain his brother wasn’t the only one to blame here.

The hungover skeleton’s head was hanging low, even with one hand propping it up by the chin, and his shoulders were sagged. It was clear as day he wasn’t taking the consequences well - the headache, the shame and the justified disappointment were visible in his lowered gaze.

Sans, the sober one, was leaning on the fridge, his back pressed to its door. His smile was still wide as always, but there was no mirth in his eye sockets. His eye lights were serious when he stared intently at the small skeleton that was sitting in front of him.

“edge… that human… are you sure there will be no police involved?”, he slowly turned his head and stared straight at Edge. “i mean… he did break the law. humans usually report something like this when it’s a monster who did it.”

“ **There’s no need to worry about that.** ”, he responded without hesitation as he met the stare with his own. “ **I _told_ you I spoke to the human.** ”

Sans shrugged lazily, which made the magnets next to his arm to slide on the metal surface of the fridge’s door. “i’m just sayin’ we should be prepared if there’s another trouble. you know quite well how that works with them... but this time, with new bills coming under the vote, any form of bad press can choke back paps’ work.”

That simple truth made the hungover skeleton hide his face in his hands with a low grumble that sounded very much like a disgruntled agreement. It seemed like the whole gravity of his stupid actions was finally dawning on him.

“i could go and talk to that human of yours, if you give me the address. make it clear how much bad time it could mean for all of us.”, Sans’ voice sounded pensive when he was considering this idea out loud.

Edge suddenly felt very irritated about the mere thought of that lazy bag of bones paying you a visit and trying to ‘ _reason_ ’ with you about that matter. He knew very well how that Sans’ negotiations looked sometimes and was pretty sure you wouldn’t take that well. This would end worse than any of them could possibly imagine, because they had no idea how to deal with somebody as crazy and unpredictable as you.

The tall skeleton clenched his hands on his elbows and leaned in a menacing manner towards the fridge. “ ** _I said_ … I talked to the human. There’s no need for s… stuff like that.**”, he growled lowly, refraining from a swear in the last second.

“hey, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure, eh?”, the blue clad skeleton closed one of his eye sockets playfully while maintaining the eye contact. His stare was cold and calculated.

Edge grimaced at his words. “ **I _trust_ ______. It will be fine.** ”, he barked back.

The skeleton next to the fridge opened both of his eye sockets wide and cocked his head to the side while still staring at Edge. The angry skeleton suddenly felt that every pair of eye lights was on him, looking at him with surprised expressions. With a frown, he glared at each skeleton in the kitchen, unable to understand what the hell just happened. After a second, he observed how their initial shock was slowly turning into amused smirks and even happy smiles. It only irritated him more, because there was something important that he missed, obviously.

“ _ **What?!**_ ”, he barked at them after a few seconds as no one cared to explain this odd behavior in any way. “ **I’m sure that human doesn’t mean us any harm, whatever Sans did last night. You _don’t_ have to go there and demand that ______ stays silent.** ”

The skeleton leaning on the fridge snickered quietly and pressed his bony palm to his teeth to muffle it somehow. At the same time, Papyrus visibly relaxed and his expression got soft and cheerful again. When Edge turned his head to glare at his brother, the hungover skeleton was hiding his face in the fluffy sleeve of his red hoodie, his shoulders shaking from silent laughter.

“ **WHAT?!** ”, he repeated in a louder, more demanding tone and then it finally hit him. He felt his cheekbones flush with magic, which angered him even more.” **SO I HAVE A HUMAN FRIEND! BIG DEAL!** ”

This time even Papyrus started chuckling and this was the last straw. On cue, the other two skeletons started laughing, making Edge cross his arms tighter on his chest and turn away his head with an annoyed huff. The swear jar was sitting on the counter right next to the flustered skeleton, so he refrained from throwing obscenities at the rest of his housemates, though he really wanted to. He focused on ignoring the warm feeling creeping on his cheekbones.

Edge knew that he cared about you and your safety ever since he understood why he rushed to your loft the moment he got the distressed messages. There was something in the way you stood up to him and dealt with his tantrums that he didn’t want to lose. He was off putting for everybody except for you, because somehow you saw the side of him other people didn’t and, whatever that was, Edge wanted to show you were right. That didn’t mean he felt comfortable with his housemates pointing out the obvious. Stupid skeletons.

Despite his clear display of discontent and irritation, the atmosphere in the kitchen changed as if the room was alive and finally sighed with relief. He himself felt lighter again, though he didn’t join the laughter that was now slowly subsiding. Seemed like everybody in the kitchen needed that.

“i’m gonna keep an eye socket out for any subpoenas in the mailbox anyways. just in case.”, the sober Sans chuckled again and pushed himself away from the fridge, clearly ready to leave. “it’s good that you both told us about it.”

Edge squinted his eyes with suspicion. He knew when he was manipulated, even when this was something as harmless as a casually said praise. He didn’t say a word though, feeling that the heavy topic was nearing to its end and there was no need to prolong it anymore.

“EXACTLY.” Papyrus took a step back to make way for his brother while nodding with enthusiasm. His happy demeanor was back at its full force. “ALTHOUGH I WISH YOU BOTH ALREADY STOPPED GETTING INTO TROUBLE WITH THE HUMANS. THEY REALLY AREN’T THAT BAD.”

“ **Yeah, yeah… say that to my head...** ”, the skeleton at the table grumbled and rubbed his battered bone brow with his palm, but cowered a little when he met Papyrus’ stern glare. “ **‘m not gonna do that again. That’s for sure.** ”

“ **Speaking of humans not being bad...** ”, Edge turned to his suffering brother. “ ** _You_ should apologize to _______.** ”

He felt really weird saying those words - it was usually the cheerful skeleton who was coaxing Edge to do that countless times. He relented on some occasions, only for the sake of his counterparts peace of mind, not really happy or entirely sincere about that. It worked... somehow. But now he figured that he and Sans owe you at least that. And perhaps a new lamp.

Sans pushed the plate with crackers away from him and placed his forehead on the cold surface of the table. “ **Uuuuuuuuugh. I knooooooow… I _will_ …**”, he groaned with exasperation while hiding his face in his arms.

“ **Not with this attitude! Properly.** ”, he pointed his finger at the smaller skeleton, but his gesture went unnoticed.

After a second or two his brother moved his head a little to be able to glare at Edge with only one eye light. “ **Yeah? And whaddya want me to do, huh?** ”

That was actually a very good question the aggressive skeleton didn’t know answer to. Fortunately, they weren’t the only ones in the kitchen, because Papyrus stayed to make the groceries list. Edge turned to his counterpart with a sly smirk.

“ **Papyrus...? What do you think?** ” Edge asked in a casual tone and saw with the corner of his eye socket how his brother shifted nervously.

When it came to choosing the best punishment, this monster was unnervingly good at it. Papyrus somehow knew what would be the most tedious and annoying thing for the poor convicted soul to do, simultaneously making it something everybody else could benefit from. After living with the other skeletons in the same house for so long, Edge could list at least ten reasons why he preferred not to truly irk the cheerful skeleton. This one was in top five of them.

The other skeleton clearly pretended to give the question a thought - there was already a telling glint in his eye sockets that indicated a ready idea waiting to be voiced. Papyrus tapped his chin with his slender phalanges and hummed while looking at the ceiling. Sans fidgeted again.

“OH I KNOW.”, the skeleton beamed and raised his index finger. “YOU SHOULD MAKE DINNER! NOTHING BRINGS PEOPLE CLOSER THAN A FRIENDSHIP MEAL PREPARED WITH ALL YOUR HEART.”

Edge couldn’t come up with a better idea himself.

“ ** _No_. No no no no! Noooooooo!** ”, Sans whined while flailing his free hand towards his brother, his cheekbone still pressed to the table. The sight was pathetic, but probably that was the point. “ **Lemme grovel on my knees or buy flowers n’ chocolates… or booze… or whatever your human likes! But don’t make me cook, broooooo… Have mercy!** ”

Sans absolutely sucked at cooking since the very beginning, which was quite surprising with his smarts. After a few horribly failed attempts when they were younger, he had stopped even trying to make something edible. This was the reason why Edge even picked up cooking - there was no other way to get a decent meal without stealing it, buying it or preparing it yourself.

His whining, moaning and complaints were ruthlessly brushed off by both of the tall skeletons. They locked gaze with each other and nodded with satisfaction - punishment has been chosen and nothing will change that now. Especially when it seemed to be quite fitting.

Making him apologize to you with an attempt at cooking was a darn good idea. Sans should finally make peace with the kitchen and forget his food related failures from the Underground. It would also give the other skeletons a chance to meet you in person, though this thought somehow unsettled Edge a little. He wasn’t sure how they would react to your behavior and how would you deal with four skeleton monsters at once. You seemed pretty social with your human friends and even roped his angry ass into many activities, so perhaps he was getting worried over nothing? You also dealt with a drunken intruder by yourself, what could possibly go wrong during a simple meal?

“ **So it’s settled.** ”, Edge spoke after reaching this conclusion. “ **I’ll ask when my human friend will have a free evening then.** ”

“AND I WILL CHECK SOME RECIPES TO HELP RED CHOOSING SOMETHING COOL. IS YOUR HUMAN ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING?”, Papyrus seemed overly excited by the sole idea of having another guest around and clapped his hands a few times.

It almost made Edge feel thrilled about the whole thing. It didn’t work like that on Sans, who groaned loudly again and mumbled something into his sleeve.

\----------------  
Edge immediately noticed that the fish monster’s attitude towards him changed since yesterday. Not long ago they were at each other’s throats again, but now she even tried to smile at him when she answered the door. It was a little terrifying attempt, to be honest.

“Uh… I left your stuff the way it was. Figured you wouldn’t like me touching anything.”, Undyne mumbled under her breath while motioning for him to get inside.

Unable to answer to that in any sensible way, the skeleton just nodded curtly and entered her house. He directed his steps towards the attic as soon as he crossed the doorstep, sparing the fish monster only a short look. He heard her footsteps behind his back, but didn’t acknowledge that she was following him. As she said, all his tools and materials were lying around on the floor just as he remembered.

“Do you… dunno… need help with anything? It would be faster.”, her voice sounded uncertain and almost apologetic.

Edge was positive that his counterpart was keeping his best friend in the loop with everything major that was happening around the skeleton household. And perhaps everything minor too - he heard Papyrus chirping excitedly on the phone each and every day. The skeleton wasn’t sure though how much she knows and wasn’t really interested in finding out. There was a chance she will start asking him questions about everything and he didn’t feel like listening to them.

He did appreciate her thought, though. Edge would never admit it out loud, but despite the fact she wasn’t the same person he had grown to love like an annoying older sister, the similarities still pushed him towards befriending this world’s Undyne. Not that he wanted to try to act on that impulses before - she was still too irritating for him and his previous behavior pretty much ruined his one chance that year ago.

Now there was a small glimmer of hope somewhere deep in his soul, that perhaps that chance wasn’t too far gone. However, he preferred it happened on his terms, not the ones imposed by Papyrus, who probably chided her for being an ass towards the aggressive skeleton in the first place. This sugary shtick wouldn’t do. They will end up fighting anyways, so they might as well go straight back to that and work from the common ground that was familiar to them - they were both warriors.

“ **You want to get rid of me already?** ”, he answered defiantly.

“ _No_.”, Undyne’s voice got a little more aggressive, she crossed her arms on her chest. “It’s just a lot of work, thought you might _appreciate_ a hand or something.”

That was more like it.

“ **We have a deal, fish. I intend to keep my end of the bargain. Get my violin ready, I will finish today.** ”

She stared at him for a while, squinting her good eye. “ _Fine_. But it’s still a ton of work to deal with all by yourself.”

“ **I’m always up for a challenge.** ”, he responded almost immediately and grabbed one of his tools while still looking at Undyne. He smirked slightly.

“I _can_ respect that.”, she nodded, a corner of her mouth twitched a little. “I’ll check if it’s tuned then.”

As soon as she left, he got back to work and nobody disturbed him, just like yesterday. There was indeed a lot things to be done before he could say that the roof was fully repaired, but he didn’t mind. He was sure he would finish everything on time and still have at least two hours before he’s going to meet with Toby. The skeleton noticed that the small human wanted the lessons to be quite frequent. There was a thought in the back of his mind that the drummer wanted to finish learning as quickly as possible, but something told him him the real reason was utterly different. Since he was spending his time with the skeleton monster, he wasn’t somewhere else, right?

Edge was in the middle of screwing the last plank to the attic’s slanted ceiling when he heard a message notification going off in his phone. Despite being convinced you wouldn’t get into new trouble that fast, he still jumped off the ladder he was standing on and hurried to his jacket to check what you wrote. He ignored how his soul fluttered anxiously in his chest right before he tapped the button.

**The Human:** Al Edgino! I heard there’s a new karaoke bar in town.  
**The Human:** You wanna join us later?  
**The Human:** I heard they have edgier music there.

He scoffed, not entirely sure whether you wrote that on purpose or simply there was no other word to describe the music you referred to. It seemed to him that everything went back to the way it was before Sans decided to check on the new mob boss in the neighbourhood. It was a huge relief to see that, but at the same time, something didn’t sit right with Edge. Shouldn’t there be at least a trace of what happened? You didn’t show that in your texts at all and he was yet to see you in person again, but the thought that there will be no impact at all was slightly unsettling to him. He didn’t want you to change your attitude, so maybe there was a space for him to change his a little?

**Edge Lord:** Stop that.  
**The Human:** Which part? The nicknames? Or the jokes?  
**The Human:** I still have at least a dozen of them! Don’t make me scrap them all!

He had his answer - you did it on purpose. Edge shook his head slightly and was already writing a response, but hesitated when a thought came to his mind. It was always you writing him first, no matter the reason (or sometimes hour). At the beginning it was annoying to him, but he answered to all your messages, sometimes agreeing to spend time with you when your idea seemed at least interesting. Then it felt like something that just… happens between you and him, something familiar, almost normal. He didn’t think much about it, just accepted it as your weird way of befriending him and went along with your usual shenanigans. But then you called him for help and he was… surprised.

He thought you had been dragging him with you to do various things just because it was entertaining to see him struggle with the human culture and your weirdness. You were always smiling at him or laughing, no matter how crass comments he growled when something surprising happened. You were so fucking patient with his attitude and despite his rude remarks, never failed to ask him to hang out the very next day. Even the fact you took care of him during the storm twice seemed more like indulging to your strange pursuit of new experiences - he was just a monster and you were helping him adjust to the Surface life. He never thought you might think of him as somebody to lean on when somewhat scary shit happens.

The whole idea of being friends with you shifted for him because of that and he felt compelled to do something… _more_. Edge recalled the items that he saw on your List of Buckets and he got an idea. He wasn’t certain you didn’t cross it out already, but maybe the stars were in his favor this time.

**Edge Lord:** Stop inviting me to YOUR activities all the time. It’s infuriating.  
**Edge Lord:** Let me come up with something for once.  
**The Human:** Sure!!!!!!

Your answer came quickly and the amount of exclamation marks told him, that he’s made a good call this time. For some reason, his imagination made him see your happy smile and giddy bouncing you tend to do when you’re excited. He didn’t notice he was staring at the little device’s screen with a satisfied smirk on his face until he heard a shuffle near the ladder to the lower floor.

He snapped his head up to look at the source of the sound and quickly pocketed his phone as if he was caught red handed doing something inappropriate. He noticed a scaly yellow head peeking through the trapdoor, trapped by his glare like a deer in the headlights. He straightened himself menacingly while still staring at the other monster.

“ _ **What?**_ ”, he growled.

“I… I… um… Brought y-you some water?”, Alphys stuttered nervously and pointed at the bottle standing on the floor right next to her.

He clenched his teeth and walked towards her in his usual, threatening way. Edge was a little surprised to see that the lizard monster moved away, but only a little. Was he losing his edge again or due to Undyne’s loud and chaotic behavior, her fiancée was mostly immunized to something similar?

“ **I was finishing already.** ”, he said in a less angry tone. Alphys didn’t seem to notice his weird behavior a while ago, so he relaxed a little.

“Oh… well. Y-you can take it anyways. You did a lot of w-work today.”, she tried to smile at him, but seeing his usual scowl made her deflate a little.

“ **Whatever.** ”, he rolled his eye lights and went back to the ladder to finish working on that damned last plank.

He heard her finally leave, though he turned his head slightly while listening to her steps. She was moving very quietly and it somehow made him think about Toby. Both the drum boy and the lizard monster were good at one thing - trying to be invisible. That was a weird connection to make, but after spending so much time with humans it was probably only natural to have random thoughts like that.

When he was done - after making sure he didn’t miss any damaged place and after cleaning the mess he made during the whole ordeal - he gathered his tools and went outside to load them into his motorcycle’s trunk. He remembered he was supposed to find something for Papyrus, who helped him choose this particular set that now proved quite useful in repairs. But first… he had a deal to finish.

“Here you go.”, Undyne handed him the closed violin case with a slight frown on her scaly face.

He paid no mind to that and retrieved the instrument eagerly. Without a word, he turned to leave the house, but the fish monster stopped him.

“What? You’re not going to check? What if there’s just a ton of old mangas?”, she quirked her brow - the one over her missing eye.

“ **Are you suggesting I should assume you would go back on a honest deal, fish?** ”, he cocked his head slightly. “ **Besides your woman wouldn’t let you do that.** ”

“Then stones. Or something…”, Undyne grumbled.

He stared at her for a while and he recognized the look she was giving him. Edge knew it was somehow cheating to use his knowledge like that, but he learned long ago that any advantage on the enemies is better than none. At this moment, she was waiting for him to see the instrument and perhaps even praise her for doing her job - he didn’t have to say anything, because the look on his face would be probably enough. He considered ignoring it and leaving, but…

“ **You do have an awful lot of spare stones in your garden.** ”, he scoffed at her and then prepped the case properly on his forearm before opening it.

He felt a familiar tug of nostalgia in his soul when he finally saw his instrument. There were some signs it was mistreated and cracked in a few places, but the fish monster repaired what she could and it seemed like it was going to sing for him again, if he finally decides to play. He was looking at the violin a little longer than he previously planned, so he shut the case immediately after realizing this fact.

“Everything seems to be in order.”, he mumbled and hurried towards the door, avoiding looking at Undyne this time. He almost felt her big stupid smile plastered all over her blue face. With a loud annoyed huff he left her house and closed the door behind him.

____________

Unfortunately, the lesson with Toby was too short for the skeleton’s tastes. The scrawny human was supposed to go somewhere important later and he apologized very profusely every chance he got until the monster barked at him to stop. They ultimately managed to practice a fair part of the same piece Edge was trying to teach the human, so the time didn’t go to waste, but it left him a tad disgruntled.

The human seemed to be in a hurry, so Edge didn’t bother to stop him and ask about tomorrow or another lesson. If need be, he could always write you a message to make sure he will arrive on time and any rehearsal was a chance to find the small human anyways. He put on his jacket while nodding curtly at the human’s “ _b-bye_ ” and proceeded to the stairs to leave too.

There, on the wall directly opposite the door leading to the first flight of stairs, was a clear poster announcing the audition. It was the first and only one the skeleton saw and was a little surprised to see one here. Nobody except for him used the stairs to get to the rehearsal room. He rolled his eye lights and began descending. He still wasn’t entirely sure whether to give it a try or not, but your imaginative attempts to suggest he should were commendable. He was fairly certain it was you who put that poster there - who else?

With the lesson cut this short, Edge found himself at home with a lot of time to spare. It was somewhat nice to have a longer while to himself, especially after everything that was going on, but at the same time... He wished he had something to do, as thinking about tomorrow was making him anxious. Not because of the audition - he was far too great to worry about something this silly. No.

You agreed to meet him tomorrow before noon. He still wasn’t sure if his idea of fulfilling one of the items on your List of Buckets was a good one and on top of that, he really needed to check whether something changed in your attitude towards him. He remembered quite vividly what he yelled at his brother and really wished he could see your expression back then.

He was deep in thoughts, his violin lying on his lap as he was mindlessly stroking the cracks with his sharp phalanges. Edge still didn’t even try playing it, almost as if doing so would mean he finally decided whether to take part in the audition or not. It wouldn’t be that bad to join the band of humans, would it? He could do what he used to love back in the Underground, back before he threw the instrument on the ground in a blind fit of rage.

“ **Hey, bro, you wanna…** ”, Sans leaned lazily inside his room while knocking on the open door - Edge must have forgotten to close them when he came back and that was a clear sign that this kind of behavior was acceptable. “ **Huh. Ya got your violin back?** ”

“ **Yes.** ” Edge turned to him slowly and nodded. His mind was still occupied with his previous thoughts, but he noticed that his brother was wearing the pitiful excuse for a sweater he had made for him. He squinted his eye sockets a little and almost smiled. It looked horrible, but at least the size was fine.

The smaller skeleton leaned further inside, his feet standing on the carpet in the hallway, so technically he wasn’t entering his angry brother’s room. “ **It’s… still broken?** ”

“ **No. There is nothing wrong with it, Sans.** ”, Edge shook his head and looked back at the instrument on his lap.

“ **Ya gonna play again?** ”, there was a hopeful tone in his older brother’s voice.

“ **Perhaps… I still haven’t decided yet.** ”, Edge muttered and ever so gently laid the violin on the bed next to his femur. He looked back at Sans. “ **There’s… an audition tomorrow. To the band _____ is in.** ”

“ **Really…?** ”, he perked up. His brother was smiling wider than ever when he heard what Edge said, something weird glistening in his eye sockets. “ **And ya wanna try?** ”

The tall skeleton frowned a little at this change of Sans’ tone and answered slowly, his voice cautious. “ **I don’t know yet.** ”

“ **Why?** ”, the smaller skeleton’s smile faded a little.

Edge suddenly ran out of patience, which wasn’t that surprising with the way his older brother was pushing him in this topic. “ **Are you _interrogating_ me?** ”, he barked at him.

“ **Nah, bro.** ”, Sans backed away from the room. “ **Just askin’... Ya wanna join us? Papyrus got a new movie again and really insists we watch it together today.** ”

“ **Not from Alph this time. I _swear_.** ”, the small skeleton added very quickly when Edge was beginning to open his jaw to ask.

When Papyrus insists on something, it was better to give in if one didn’t have a good argument against it. A movie chosen by that insufferable lizard monster would be a good one, but that wasn’t the case. The taller skeleton just let out a sigh and muttered, “ **I’ll be right down.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what do you think Red should try to cook all by himself to say how incredibly sorry he is for scaring the shit out of you and making you use your super secret weapon?  
> _____________________  
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.  
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:
> 
> [ by littleblue5mcdork](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i) \- the cutest Edge with hearts in his eyes  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:
> 
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
> Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	16. Take a Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge fulfills one wish from your List of Buckets and you get to touch all of his bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some worldbuilding this time, my beautiful Readers. If you have any questions Edge and I will try to answer them in a way that won't spoil your future fun!
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! You're my fuel and you're the best!

The skeleton had his hands stuffed deep into his jacket’s pockets and was pacing back and forth in front of the main door, sometimes stopping to kick a small stone or a piece of trash. He had been too restless at home and decided to take a longer walk before meeting you by the old building your Miserable Lot usually occupies during the rehearsals. And now he was too early thanks to his long legs and nervous pace. Great.

Edge tried to force himself to think about something different than you and your possible behavior, but it was really difficult. Even wondering about any music pieces he could play on the audition wasn’t distracting enough - he still didn’t know whether to go or not and something was blocking him from reaching the final decision. He was getting irritated with himself again. He also felt weird waiting for you, because he was both impatient for you to arrive, but at the same time, he wished something would come up and you had to postpone the meeting.

When you’ve finally reached the building, it seemed like nothing’s really changed. You greeted him with your normal, casual smile and used yet another silly nickname, making the tight knot on his soul to loosen up significantly. For now, Edge felt relieved.

“So…”, you stopped right in front of him and mimicked the way he was standing by putting both your hands into your pockets. “... where are we going, Edge2-Bone2?”

“ **Nowhere.** ”, he took a step to the side and motioned his head towards the building.

You squinted your eyes a little and looked that way before shuffling towards the door with a shrug. “Okay.”, your voice seemed curious. “You’re being _soooooo_ mysterious about that.”

Edge hesitated a little before following you, almost changing his mind about the whole idea. Perhaps it was too early and he should have waited a few days? Or maybe he wasn’t supposed to do that in the first place because it would only scare you more? You didn’t seem frightened at all before, but he had an inkling that you don’t show fear in the same way most people do. It was too late for this kind of thoughts right now though - you were already here. “ **Maybe.** ”, he answered in a leveled tone.

You’ve waited for the skeleton near the stairs, avoiding the elevator ever since the first day you had brought him here, but getting to the rehearsal room wasn’t his plan today. He turned left and entered an old and dusty hallway that led to the other side of the mostly abandoned building. The trash and broken glass were scrunching under his heavy boots and he heard your footsteps behind him quite clearly. Edge resisted the urge to look over his shoulder and gauge your reaction to his cryptic behavior - you were still following him out of your own free will, so this should be enough for him. He knew you well enough to be sure that the moment something you didn’t like happened, you would jam out.

After a short walk, he finally entered a wider archway that was devoid of its door and waited outside for you to get in first. The room he led you to was one of the biggest in the building, almost completely empty if one didn’t count a few wide pillars near the walls that were holding up the bereft metal bars on the ceiling. The row of windows on the wall was completely boarded up, so it was quite dark inside - the only sources of light were the door you both came in and a few holes between the support beams over your heads. The floor was littered with broken glass, undifferentiated trash, and empty beer cans and everything was covered with a thick layer of gray dust that the skeleton even felt in his nasal cavity.

“Just so you know, I react _very_ poorly to jump scares. Like, _aggressively_ poorly.”, you finally voiced out your concerns, your tone a little more cautious than before.

It sounded more like you were signalizing your worry than actually threatening him or admitting to being scared, but this still made his soul tense with worry. This _really_ might be too soon. He did lead you to the most abandoned place in the near vicinity and after what happened two days ago you might be still on edge. It occurred to him that he shouldn’t have been so secretive about all this.

“ **I’m not going to scare you, human.** ”, he huffed more at himself than at you and then crossed his arms. “ **You told me you wanted to see some monster magic.** ”

He didn’t even have a chance to continue talking because you were already gasping loudly as you quickly caught up to what he was saying. Both of your hands shot up in a wild gesture of unrestrained glee and then you pressed your hands quickly to your mouth to stifle a happy squeal before it escaped your grinning lips. Your eyes were wide with surprise and excitement as you bounced a few times, speechless for a while.

“ _REALLY?!_ ”, your voice was still high pitched when you jumped towards him to ask that question.

Edge couldn’t help but smile a little at your pure expression of joy. “ **Yes. I wanted to show you my magic.** ”, he gestured at the empty hall with one hand and then turned back to you. “ **But it’s better if nobody else sees me use it. Or hears about it.** ”

“Sure! Okay! My lips are sealed!”, you shot quickly, still bouncing like crazy. You held your hands close to your body as if trying to stop them from flailing like you initially did.

The skeleton shook his head a little at your weirdness, but your behavior made his soul flutter happily in his chest. He was worried you already saw someone else use their magic for you, but he gladly figured, that you still didn’t have a chance to see that. There was something appealing in being the first one to show you how monster magic may work.

“ **Stay behind me all the time.** ”, he instructed in a serious tone and motioned at you to keep near the wall next to the entrance.

You stopped bouncing this instant and frowned a little. “Is it dangerous?”

“ **No.** ”, he answered without hesitation. “ **I have a _perfect_ control over my powers. But… don’t try anything crazy to test it.** ”, Edge pointed his finger at you while knitting his bone brows a little.

You pretended to pout at him by crossing your arms and turning your head away. “Spoilsport.”

“ **_Human…_ ** ”, his voice had a more warning edge to it now. He knew how weird you were, but he was also almost sure that you weren’t crazy enough to actually run into his magic attacks while he was demonstrating them. _Almost ._

You met his intense glare with your own and smiled at him happily. “I’m just kidding. I won’t budge. Just show me!”

Edge slowly nodded at your affirmation and turned to face the empty room. He didn’t need much time to prepare - since early childhood he was taught his magic must be ready to use at any given moment. It wasn’t hard for him to summon the power that was always flowing in his soul and after only a second, he swung his right hand in front of him to create a flurry of white thick bones that sprang from the floor. He felt a familiar rush of his magic being slightly drained and he realized he missed it a little, as he didn’t do this that often on the Surface. It was exhilarating in some way to know that he still was this powerful, that he still wasn’t… weak. There was also a chance that using up some of his magic would help him unwind a little - not that he needed this today, he wasn’t nervous at all.

The skeleton heard your gasp, but the overall sound of bones rising from the floor and throwing the trash and glass around was deafening, so if you said anything, it was effectively drowned by the loud rattle. Edge glanced quickly over his shoulder to check if everything is fine with you and he met your eyes that were opened wide and filled with wonder. That sight made him smirk a little and he turned back towards the room, as he wasn’t finished yet. He proceeded to summon another wave of bones, this time filled with more raw magic than substance - thus glowing slightly red. The glow of his magic attacks flooded the room, casting a menacing light on his features. In those two quick moves, he filled the whole floor and some of the walls with red and white bones. He knew there were times when he could summon even more attacks at once, but apparently, he was out of shape.

“This… this is so _cool_ !”, he heard you breath out in amazement and then cough a little when some of the dust that was stirred by his magic got into your mouth. “ _Oh my God_ , I didn’t know you could do that!”

Edge turned towards you slowly and allowed his magic to materialize in his hand. A large bone club emerged straight from his palm and continued to grow until it touched the dusty floor with a low thud. Seeing that you’re clearly awestruck with his display of power, he felt his soul swell with pride. He was enjoying this moment as much as you did now.

You took a step forward, still gaping at the blunt weapon he was holding in his steady grip, and seeing he didn’t stop you there, you came closer. The skeleton was looking at you intently, ready to notice whether you’re scared of his abilities or not, but he didn’t see any signs of fear in your behavior. You were just amazed and curious beyond everything. You circled him while still gaping at the large bone club and then your attention got attracted by the rows of white and red bones sticking out of the floor.

“Can I… touch it?”, you take another slow step while pointing at one of the rows.

The red glow surrounding some of the bones illuminated your skin, making it look as if it was on fire from the inside. Your human eyes were reflecting the light in a way that resembled embers hidden under your eyelids and the dust still hovering in the air made the sight look even more surreal.

That view alone was a reason which Edge paused for a moment and failed to register your question. He snapped out of it immediately. “ **Wait.** ”, he said quickly while blinking a few times and he concentrated a little. After a short gesture he did with his hand, all the red bones turned solid in an instant. The glow disappeared. “ **It’s safe to touch them now.** ”

You gave the closest bone a poke with your index finger and cast a quick glance at the skeleton that was watching your every move. When nothing happened and nothing was said, you proceeded to touch the white surface with more fingers and then a whole your palm at once. You cocked your head a little and seized the head of the bone with both your hands, fingers stroking the even surface.

“Whoa.”, you gasped with awe. “They’re real. Like… real real. It feels like your own bones.”

Edge was curiously observing your actions, a small smirk still on his face. “ **Those _are_ my bones. ** ”, he said while quirking his bone brow.

You froze for a moment, but your hands didn’t jerk away. “Uh… you can feel that?”, you ask with a dumbfounded expression.

A low chuckle escaped him before he managed to control himself. “ **No. Why would I?** ”

“You said those are _your_ bones…”, you turned to look at the attack you were touching and knocked at the surface with your knuckles.

“ **They are mine because they are made with _my_ magic. ** ”, he tried to explain it to you calmly, but he still felt he was smirking with amusement at your silly question. “ **My _whole body_ is made of the same magic. _I_ conjured them, yes… but there’s no reason for me to feel anything through them, that’s not how magic attacks should work.** ”

Your surprised expression changed into more pensive one when you frowned and took a few steps into the field of bones to touch another - almost as if you were thinking they will feel differently. “Oh.”, you muttered in a thoughtful tone. “So you like... fight with those?”

The change in your voice suddenly made him regret what he said. There’s no need for you to know that or even think about it. Not now. Not when you were having so much fun.  “ **I did, once.** ”, he admitted. “ **But it’s better for monsters not to use their magic _against_ humans. It… it just generates more trouble than it’s worth. ** ”

You hummed at his words and suddenly kneeled. The skeleton watched with surprise as you wrapped your arms around the shaft of the bone and gave it a strong tug. The magic attack didn’t budge, even after your repeated attempts interrupted by loud huffs. Edge was about to ask you what the hell were you doing, but you spoke up before he got a chance.

“Hey, can you build something with that? Like stairs or a scaffolding?”, you looked at him, the amazement back in your eyes.

“ **I… could.** ”, he said after the surprise invoked with your question has passed. That was a weird thing to ask, but it’s not like he never thought about different applications of his magic. “ **It wouldn’t stand for long, but it _is_ possible. As long as I can keep my focus and won’t run out of energy. ** ”

His answer apparently satisfies you, because you nodded with acknowledgment and stopped trying to pull the bone out of the floor. The skeleton shook his head a little - you were still weird, but he didn’t mind it anymore. It was amusing to see you explore the bone field with that excited shine in your eyes, but if that’s the first time you got to see monster magic, Edge wasn’t surprised you were so… touchy. You walked among them and grazed every single white head with your fingers as you made your way towards the far end of the room. Upon reaching the wall, you turned around on your heel and continued doing the same towards the skeleton while humming something under your nose.

You stopped in the middle of the room and prepped your hands on two bones that were right next to your hips. “This is really amazing. Thanks for showing me this. People always talk about monster magic and say a lot of crazy stuff, but… seeing the real thing is something entirely indescribable. Wow…”, you stroke the bones a few times while still smiling.

Edge squinted his eye sockets a little. Your thanks and praise didn’t go unnoticed, but something else attracted his attention. “ **What _do_ they say about our magic? ** ”, he asked while staring straight at you.

You must have heard something odd in his tone because all your attention was back on him, your eyes curious but also cautious. “That monsters can cast spells on human souls. Like… curses? Or something similar. All that stuff was really vague so I didn’t pay it any mind.”, you finally said after a few seconds of silence.

He was afraid this topic might turn up when you two start discussing monster magic, but… it was him that pushed it with questions, wasn’t it? Edge let out a deep sigh and clenched his jaw for a second.

“ **We can.** ”, he said curtly, his stare not leaving your eyes for one moment. Despite his unwillingness to explain something like this, he remembered it was you, not just some insignificant human. There was no need to make you feel threatened. “ **But it is forbidden to touch a human soul with our magic, with only a few exceptions. Your religions are a sensitive subject in politics, so we had to… adjust** **.** ”

You nodded a few times but didn’t seem too eager to ask anything more about it. Even so, Edge continued. “ **Every human knows that… or at least should be aware of that. Seems like those people you heard don’t know _shit_ and just spread stupid gossips. ** ”

“Yeah…”, you nodded again and looked at the bones that surround you. Your feet shuffled quietly on some trash when you went back to walking between them as if it was a weird cornfield.

There are no more questions about monsters and their magic, nothing about what they can do to human souls, you just… accepted this. He honestly was ready to fend off your questions. Sans told him on numerous occasions how annoyed he was about humans who nag him about those things every time they get a chance. It was amusing and even flattering at the beginning, but then it just got irritating. Yet here you were - satisfied with just a few vague sentences. The skeleton watched you carefully, a cautious frown slowly disappearing from his expression.

You were humming something again, still touching his magic attacks with your fingers playfully, all your attention being drawn to them. There was something mesmerizing in the way you moved around the room, sometimes turning in place, almost as if you were dancing. Your human body looked odd roaming between things that he thought were potentially lethal. No. His attacks were supposed to be lethal… And you trusted him enough to walk among them as if nothing bad could ever happen to you. It was a long time since he looked at his magic differently. They were always means to an end, a brutal force to make way for his goals and keep himself and his brother safe.

He felt himself smirk a little while you were passing a few bones in one silly jump and allowed the bone you just touched to dissipate into the thin air. You were initially surprised and jerked your hand back as if worried it was your fault. You turned around to look at him and after a short while, Edge saw an impish glint in your eyes. You quickly went back to roaming around the room, but this time your pace was much faster. The skeleton followed your every move with his eye lights and waited for you to touch the next bones on your path. Each and every one disappeared a second later at his will.

The whole silly game ended up with you running around and touching random bones for him to dissipate in a correct order. Your cheerful laugh filled the room and echoed around the bare walls as you were trying to outrun the vigilant skeleton. Edge was really smiling now, not just smirking. This situation was reminding him of the more carefree moments of his childhood when he used to play with magic with his brother. It had been a way to learn control, for sure, but it also had been just purely fun. It’s been long years since he used his magic for that purpose instead of brutally getting the point across or just plainly attacking another monster. He found himself having fun with that now, thanks to you.

You’ve managed to get to almost all of the bones, but there was one left that his attack had embedded into the wall, way too high for you to reach. That didn’t discourage you even one bit - you were still jumping in place and stretching your arm as high as you could. The skeleton watched your fruitless attempts for a few whiles, but ultimately took mercy on you and carefully created a few bones in the wall next to your legs. You looked over your shoulder at him with a wide grin and, without a second of hesitation, climbed the makeshift stairs to get to the last bone. It disappeared like the rest of them when you gave it a hearty pat. You laughed again and turned swiftly around to jump down the bony steps, one at the time. Edge allowed them to dissipate the moment your feet hit the dusty floor.

After you looked around the room one last time and saw no more remaining bones to touch, you walked up to him at a much slower pace. Your cheeks were flushed from exertion, hair slightly ruffled and your clothes had dust all over them. You were out of breath, but also clearly happy.

“That was fun!”, you sighed and plopped on the ground near the skeleton’s leg. You leaned on the pillar, not minding the fact that your pants could get even dirtier.

Seeing you needed a while to catch your breath after all the wild running and jumping you did, the skeleton sat next to you, minding not to accidentally touch you in any way. He needed a bit of rest too, unfortunately. Using any kind of magic was always tiring and he really felt he was out of shape - while underground, he trained every day to keep his strength up. He had stopped when he got here, to the Surface. Perhaps that was one of the main reasons he had felt so anxious and irritated during his first months in this world - not being able to spend this excess energy like he used to. Maybe it was a good time to take Papyrus up on his offer to train together? The cheerful skeleton asked him about this many times before, but Edge always refused.

He heard clearly how you take a few calming breaths and your clothes rustle against the pillar. The skeleton turned his head a little to look at you with the corner of his eye socket.

“So… you were a captain?”, you asked, your eyes staring straight at him in that odd, cautious way.

That question caught him off guard and for a few moments, he didn’t say a word. The giddiness in his soul that appeared during the silly game with you was starting to slowly fade away and a scowl reappeared on his face. “ **... yes. I was.** ”

You cocked your head a little and smiled. “That’s cool”, you simply stated and tilted your head back to look at the ceiling. After leaning the back of your head on the pillar behind you and closing your eyes, you went silent.

Edge wasn’t sure what to think this time. You did ask him about it, but then you dropped the topic as suddenly as it appeared. Weren’t you curious about this? Or maybe it wasn’t weird enough for you to be interested? He wasn’t happy about the mere idea of talking about his past as the Captain of the Royal Guard, but at the same time, this was a little surprising to him that you didn’t push for more answers. He was ready to deny you them from the very beginning, that’s true, but now his resolve didn’t meet with anything worth fighting against. You were just sitting there calmly next to him, after learning he was a captain and had been using magic to fight once. Somehow, his patience was running thin, because he didn’t understand what were you playing at.

He finally turned towards you, his heavy boots shuffling on the trash a little and barked at you. “ **Aren’t you going to ask me about it?** ”

“Well… do you  _want_  me to ask you about it?”, you answered calmly, not even opening your eyes.

“ **No** **...** ”, Edge said after a moment of silence.

“Then what’s the problem?”, you turned your head slightly towards him and opened your eyes.

“ **I… There is none.** ”, he shook his head. “ **You humans always seemed to be very nosy to me… as far as my brothers have told me. Always asking many stupid questions. You’re not doing that.** ”

You smiled in that weird way he still wasn’t able to quite wrap his head around. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, Edge Reno. I’m  _dying_  to learn about  _you_  and monsters and magic and Underground and all that.”, you listed while looking him straight in the eye.

“ **But you are _not_  going to ask me…?**”, he asked slowly, trying to grasp your backwards logic here.

“Nope. I’m  _not_  going to ask you.”, you shrugged.

There was something unnerving in the way you were looking at him in that moment, almost as if you were expecting him to understand what’s going on. But Edge couldn’t. If you were so curious, why weren’t you trying to get all the answers? He did owe you ‘big time’ as you said before, you could just use it now to make him tell you everything or at least make an attempt to do so. Yet… nothing.

Maybe it was because of the way he answered before? But it wasn’t the first time he was scowling at you or raising his voice. You’ve dealt with him for so long, you knew when you were properly irritating him and when he was just pissed off in general. Were you so hesitant because of what you’ve learned so far? He never really asked you what happened between you and Sans before you had finally cornered him that night. Did he say something odd to you?

“ **I don’t want to talk about me being a captain. It’s in the past and it’s better that way.** ”, he muttered finally, confused.

You nodded and leaned back on the pillar. “Okay.”

“ **Just like that?** ”, he frowned. He really wanted to understand.

You let out a deep sigh and looked at him again, your expression soft but serious.

“Edge. I’m not going to push you to talk about things that make your face scrunch up like  _that_.”, you leaned towards him a little and gently pressed the tip of your index finger right on the spot where his bone brows met every time he frowned. It made him back away from you a little, more out of pure surprise than anything else.

“There are some things that people don’t want to share with anybody and that’s  _alright_.”, you withdrew your hand and stuffed it into your pocket. “You’re my  _friend_ , not a google search engine on monsters. You will tell me what you want when you feel like it. It’s that simple.”

It suddenly made some sense to him and his brows relaxed a little. You were just respecting his boundaries again. Something he noticed you have been doing from the very beginning, even with something so simple yet so important like touching. You rarely touched him at all, which he appreciated for most of the time, but sometimes he wished you did it more often. Edge associated your warm hands with something safe and rather pleasant now, so he wouldn’t mind that. You also never asked him about his fear of thunderstorms or rather anything he gave curt answers to.

“ **If you put it that way…** ”, he said those words while staring at you. It was quite silly, but he suddenly felt like talking about himself more. A  _little_  more. That feeling was also a tad irritating, to be honest - simultaneously wanting to keep everything to himself, but at the same time having this weird longing to be asked about various things. He didn’t feel the need to be on guard around you, but Edge wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

“ **You may ask _one_  question.**”, he decided after a careful thought, intently looking at your face.

“Really?”, your expression shifted. You seemed surprised but also… excited. Was it really so important to you to give you a permission to pry a little?

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “ **Really. And I _will_  answer.**”

“ _Really really?_ ”, your voice got high pitched again.

“ **Just fucking _ask_  already.**”, Edge growled in response.

You scrunched your face in a jokingly thoughtful expression, but then it changed into a truly serious and pensive one. Your gaze left him and you began to stare at your feet in silence. The second it happened, Edge regretted he gave you this chance and his soul froze in an anticipation. He dreaded what you might ask him, not because of the question itself, but because of what you might think about him when you hear an honest answer. He did have  _a lot_  on his conscience, he realized. And you, even being as crazy and strange as you were, were still just a frail human from a fairly peaceful Surface, who didn’t have to live through the hell he did. Not that he wished you to be put through the shit he had to endure, no. You didn’t  _deserve_  it. He, on the other hand… his hands weren’t clean.

Edge was staring at you, feeling his body tense up every time he noticed even the slightest change in how your lips curled or how your eyelids squinted. Human faces were so weirdly expressive and yet still so hard to read for him. He wished he knew what were you thinking right now, to at least be ready for what you have in store for him. The skeleton’s mind was reeling with possible lines of thought you might have at that moment.

You saw him interact with his brother in his usual, loud and aggressive way. Sans was reacting with fear, flinching when he moved too fast, stammering all the time, calling him his ‘boss’ and Edge didn’t even bother to correct him until they left. He forgot that you also heard him talk to Sans on the phone, where the interaction looked differently. Edge was only thinking about how bad he looked in your eyes just then… ‘bad’ in that abusive kind of way. His older brother did suffer through a fair share of manhandling from him - most of it was only for appearances, but some of it was real. The younger skeleton had never really meant to hurt Sans and he regretted every bumped bone and every little scratch. There was no choice then, they both knew it. But would you understand?

He told you he didn’t want to talk about his time as a captain, but then he gave you a green light to ask about anything. Were you going to ask him about his duties? What would you think of him if you heard he was tasked with capturing humans for the sole purpose of killing them and harvesting souls? Not that any of them ever fell down to the Underground during this whole life, but he was dead set on fulfilling his duty back then. Both as a simple sentry and as  _the_ Captain of the Royal Guard later.

Or you might just simply ask him whether has he killed anybody. He knows how to fight with magic, he told you he used it that way, his bones are scarred almost everywhere, it was obvious he didn’t cast attacks just for shits and giggles. Would you understand his reasoning? The Underground most people know is the peaceful one, full of hopeless victims of the War and the Barrier, not the one he grew up trying to survive. What would your expression be like if he said that he  _did_?

Would you be scared? Of him? Or your…  _friend_?

You didn’t think too long, though his frantic thoughts made it feel like it took ages. He wasn’t the one to back out from the challenge (especially if he issued it himself), but he really felt like revoking your right to that question now. It was a mistake to even make this stupid proposition.

When you finally turned to look at him again, you frowned at first, probably seeing his tense expression. You pursed your lips for a moment and then a wide teasing smile overtook your face.

“What’s up with the socks?”, you said barely resisting a chuckle.

His eye sockets widened immediately, both because of the sudden shift in your demeanor and the question that you finally asked. Did you just…?

“ **No.** ”, he said, the tension leaving him this instant, replaced by unamused irritation. He pointed his bony finger at you and repeated angrily. “ **NO!** ”

You started laughing so hard you had to wrap your hands around your stomach and that sudden movement made you lean to the side - away from him. After a moment, you were giggling breathlessly while lying on the dusty floor, obviously not worried about your clothes. Edge was trying to glare at you, but that wouldn’t change anything - your eyes were closed shut from mirth.

“ **You’re infuriating!** ”, he yelled, though at this moment he couldn’t be honestly mad at you.

This somehow made you burst out in laughter even louder. “ _I know!_ ”, you responded between desperate gasps for breath.

He huffed a few times, but there was something in the way you were behaving right now that made him smirk a little. You really were infuriating but in your weird, endearing way. Edge shook his head, unable to stop smiling and leaned towards you to grab you by your collar and pull you up. There was a lot of broken glass on the floor and he wasn’t going to deal with you leaking blood now. “ **For fuck’s sake, human…** ”

You looked at him and tried to carefully wipe your eyes with your palms. It ended up with you having dirt all over your face, excluding your nose. At least he didn’t notice you hurt yourself with all that shit that was littering the ground. Your body was still shaking a little from suppressed laughter, but your attempts to calm the fuck down were almost working.

“ **You _really_ aren’t going to ask me anything?**”, he asked when you were finally able to breathe like a sane person.

“My my, Edge-3PO.”, you quirked your brow. “It’s almost like you  _want_  me to ask you all about your super secret past life.”

“ **No… not exactly.** ”, he let out a sigh and looked away with a slight grimace. “ **I gave you one chance, but you chose to make a joke out of it. _Why?_** ”

“What can I say?”, you hummed and shifted a little. “I really… really didn’t want to pry, like at all. I would need some time to come up with a good question since you gave me just one.”, there was this calm and accepting tone of your voice again. No judgment, no jibe. “Besides…”

Your voice trailed off and Edge stopped staring at the ground to look at you.

“You smiled. So mission: accomplished.”, you winked at him, a wide and satisfied grin plastered all over your dirty face.

“ **I did…** ”, the skeleton reluctantly admitted and raised his voice a second later. “ **...and I hate it!** ”

You laughed loudly again, this time leaning towards him, not the ground. He didn’t move away when your shoulder touched his. Due to his thick leather jacket, he felt the warmth of your body after a while, but even a simple thing like a pressure of your soft body was… an oddly nice sensation. He would really hate it if you’d started to fear him.

You’ve spent some more time sitting with the skeleton in the abandoned, dirty hall and talking about everything and nothing. The topics never even brushed his past or monster magic - there were many other things you could babble about for hours and Edge was living on the surface long enough to be able to significantly contribute to the conversation. You didn’t move away, so he still felt your warm shoulder touching his in a simple gesture of companionship. He appreciated that.

The skeleton was already thinking what other things from your List of Buckets or his Stupid List could be done together. Edge understood why were you even bothering to drag his angry ass into all those silly activities - it was actually fun to initiate something like that and see you react to his idea. He was most certainly going to repeat this in the future.

Neither you nor Edge noticed how much time passed on idle chat, but you finally had to go. Edge led you outside and you both had to squint your eyes - it was much brighter here than in the dust-filled room. Both his clothes and yours were dirty as if you rolled around on the ground for the past few hours. You tried patting your pants down to get rid of it but abandoned the idea when you’ve noticed that it only made things worse.

“ **One more thing, human.** ”, the skeleton said before you were able to start saying goodbye.

“Yeah?”, you stopped looking over your clothes in search for other dirt stains and turned your attention to him.

“ **My brother… he wants to apologize like a decent monster being.** ”, Edge said with hesitation clear in his voice. “ **Would you come to a dinner at our house?** ” It was a simple question, yet he felt nervous while saying every word. He was asking you on behalf of his stupid brother, though something in him still felt a little guilty for what happened.

“A dinner?”, there was nothing in your expression that might suggest you were reluctant to the idea.

“ **Yes.** ”, the skeleton nodded. “ **My other… _housemates_ … wanted to meet you too.**”, he decided to add. He was inviting you to meet all of them, so maybe it could show you that he wasn’t embarrassed about being friends with you. Not really. “ **I can pick you up on whatever day it’s best for you. _If_ you agree.**”

You smiled at him happily. “Alright. Sounds fun. See you on the audition then?”, you asked with a hopeful tone in your voice.

“ **I will be there.** ”, he responded without even thinking about what the fuck was he saying.

“Great! Bye, Edge.”, you called and off you went.

It seemed like he’s made his decision. Edge wasn’t exactly glad he mindlessly blurted that out, but at the same time, it felt…  _good_. He had only a few hours to go home, change into new clothes and finally choose what was he planning to play, so he started walking, a small smile creeping up on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:
> 
> [ by littleblue5mcdork](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i) \- the cutest Edge with hearts in his eyes
> 
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister
> 
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar
> 
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:
> 
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	17. In the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge finally goes to the audition and then he learns something about you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Thank you guys so much for many comments and kudos and reblogs on Tumblr and the shoutout! It makes me so happy to see that you enjoy my story, my beautiful Readers!
> 
> I had so many interesting music pieces to choose from for our Edgy Edge Lord I had a really hard time picking just one (the second one was in my head since it was a given that Edge plays the violin). Ultimately, Hysteria won, but the other ones were awesome too!
> 
> Hope you'll like this chapter! 
> 
> The songs used here are:  
> [First song - Hysteria by muse (violin cover)](https://youtu.be/R-j-O2pFn-0)  
> [Second song - Wiedzmin OST - Believe](https://youtu.be/HoBW1VLJzds)

When Edge entered the skeleton’s house, he was too deep in thoughts about you and music to even wonder how his brother might receive his current state. Because of his work, the state of his clothes wasn’t something he paid too much attention to lately, so he was quite surprised when Sans appeared right in front of him the moment the smaller skeleton noticed his younger brother in the hallway.

“ **Bro? What happened? Are ya hurt? Who did this to you?** ”, the skeleton with a golden tooth grabbed him by his elbows and began inspecting him for any injuries Edge might have suffered.

It took the taller skeleton a few seconds to understand what was Sans referring to. Edge was covered in pale dirt that looked very much like monster dust and smelled of recent use of magic. It looked straight up bad for somebody who didn’t know what really happened - and his brother didn’t.

“ **I’m fine, Sans.** ”, he growled at him, his good mood disappearing quickly under the worried gaze of his older brother. A stupid panic attack was the last thing Edge needed right now.

“Tell me what happened! Should I call Papyrus? Is there anythin’ I need to take care of, bro? Bro, talk to me!”, the smaller skeleton squeezed his elbows tighter.

Edge grimaced. Sans had always been overprotective and overreacting every damn time his younger brother got home with a new scar after training or dust on his clothes or reeking of magic. It was like he never saw him as an adult, always worrying over the babybones he thought Edge was. The older he got, the more anxious and concerned Sans was when it came to his work or whatever business he was taking care of outside their Snowdin house. Edge understood it was out of worry and maybe even love, but he didn’t need him to hover over him every single time he got a bruise, especially when he had finally been promoted to the Captain of the Royal Guard - a position he had earned fair and square all by himself. He wasn’t helpless and treating him like a kid felt degrading too. He wasn’t weak. He couldn’t be. _Weak monsters die_.

“ **UNHAND ME, YOU-** ”, he started raising his voice at Sans while putting his gloved hand on his brother’s sternum to push him away like he always did, but something made him stop.

They weren’t in the Underground anymore. There was no imminent threat of death, there weren’t monsters waiting around the corner to dust them just to feel a little safer in that crazy world. He wasn’t his ‘boss’ anymore, not for over two years. They were brothers with scars running deep in their souls, keeping them trapped in their old destructive ways, making them unable to be truly alive here, on the Surface. Edge really wanted both of them to be finally free, so if somebody was going to break that stupid circle of anger and fear, it might as well be him.

Instead of pushing Sans away from him like he used to do over and over again, he grabbed his sweater on the chest, crumpling up the soft knitted material. He recognized this immediately - it was the same one he gave him those two days ago. He was still wearing this ugly abomination and that made Edge’s soul fill both with warmth and with weird pain. This one stupid garment meant so much to the small skeleton?

Sans must have misunderstood the gesture because his trembling hands let go of Edge’s elbows this instant. There was already sweat appearing on the surface of his skull.

“ **S-sorry, bro. I just…** ”, he started and tried to take a step back, but the taller skeleton didn’t let him go.

“ **Sans.** ”, Edge took a deep breath and crouched in front of him. “ **I’m fine.** ”, he really tried to sound reassuring, but after all this time he almost forgot how to do that. “ **I was showing ______ my magic and got dirty. That is all. Use your fucking eyes, it’s not dust.** ”

“ **Oh…** ”, he mumbled in response, staring at his younger brother with a mixture of puzzlement and concern still visible in his eye sockets. Edge wasn’t sure he had believed him.

“ **I’m _not_ hurt. Nobody is** **.** ”, he spoke up again. He was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable both with his own behavior and with the way his brother was looking at him.

Sans reached towards him and touched the dirt covering the sleeve of Edge’s leather jacket. Its color indeed was pretty similar to the monster dust, but it didn’t feel the same between the phalanges. The tall skeleton waited patiently for the verdict and let out a deep exasperated sigh when Sans finally nodded and relaxed a little.

“ **I need to get ready for the audition…** ”, he started slowly, cautiously gauging his brother’s reaction. The situation was getting more and more awkward and out of character for both of them, Edge felt it in his bones… but Undyne used to say that it needs to get worse before it gets better. She was talking about training and practicing then, but he figured it might be transferred to fixing relationships as well.

He remembered how Sans wanted to just sit and keep him near every time he got worried to the verge of panic. And Edge did just that when he was little, happy to help his big brother any way he could. But they grew up. They had stopped doing that a long time ago, none of them able to admit they wanted some company to let the emotions settle down after something particularly distressing. They needed to be strong - for themselves and for each other. They couldn’t be weak then, they couldn’t worry each other or make the other one weak because of it. Because _weak monsters..._

“ **... but I can sit with you for a while. If you still need to calm down.** ”, Edge added before his mind followed this particularly dark line of thoughts that was embedded into his very soul.

“ **Wh-... nah, bro… I… it’s fine…** ”, the smaller skeleton’s face flushed slightly and he took another step back. Edge understood he finally crossed the line and let go of the knit fabric quickly, feeling embarrassment creep on his cheekbones too.

He stood up and refused to look straight at his older brother. Why was it so weird for them to act differently? That lazy Sans was so close to Papyrus and it looked so perfectly natural. Why wasn’t he able to do that too? How damaged was he because of his life? And how much had Sans sacrificed for their survival?

“ **Right.** ”, Edge grumbled awkwardly.

“ **Yeah…** ”, Sans mumbled softly and the tall skeleton didn’t need to look at him to know his brother’s smile is tense. “ **Are ya sure ya ok, bro? Ya actin’ weird.** ”

The taller skeleton huffed at this obvious statement. He was pretty well aware of that fact - he was acting weird and the sole realization made him feel fucking awkward. He did choose a different route this time, but it seemed it wasn’t going to be that simple.

“ **You’d better _start_ getting fucking used to it, you moron.** ”, he growled at him and finally left the hallway by walking past his brother.

“ **Heh… ok.** ”, Sans chuckled in a more relaxed manner. “ **‘m not _complainin_ ’ or anythin’. ‘s just weird.**”

Edge looked at the clock that was hanging over the door to the kitchen and let out a sigh. He still had some time to change and get to the audition, but not much. He could try to talk to his brother, maybe even explain the whole thing to make the awkward process more tolerable for both of them.

“ **Sans...** ”, Edge raised his voice a little while turning a little to look at the smaller skeleton that entered the living room after him. He had the will to talk, but words betrayed him again. How does one even start talking about fixing all those mental scars?

The small skeleton stared at him for a few seconds and finally managed to crack a real smile. “ **Seriously, bro, it’s ok. You have a thing to do, so go and _kick_ their asses. ** ”

This time Edge answered with a little tense but honest smirk. “ **Of course I will. There is no other option.** ”, he scoffed defiantly while puffing up his chest and finally proceeded to walk up the stairs to his own room.

“ **Heh… That’s my cool bro.** ”, he heard Sans say proudly just before he closed the door behind him.

He lingered at the door for a moment, still not quite sure about the decision. The last time he had postponed that serious conversation they were supposed to have it ended up in a huge shitstorm. But this time it was different - they weren’t arguing, there was no misunderstanding between them. Just an extremely awkward situation, where both of them tried to be there for each other. It was better already, in his opinion, so maybe all he needed was to be more patient with the whole ‘getting free’ thing. There wasn’t any Barrier to break, it wouldn’t be so simple. Though Edge wanted that for his brother with all his soul, they had a whole fucking awful life to fix and no magic spell would change this fact in one day.

Besides he was the one to tell Sans they should start living next to each other and act like adults. Getting ready for the audition and not being late was something Edge considered as such.

The dirt covering him was clinging like crazy to his bones and to his clothes, so he had to take a quick shower and change all of his clothes to finally get rid of the nuisance. He decided to put on his favorite shirt - it was old and torn and he felt a little silly choosing this one. It was the first shirt Sans bought for him on the Surface and somehow Edge always liked the touch of that particular fabric on his bones. The phrase printed on the shirt was stupid though. His jacket needed a thorough cleaning, but he didn’t have the time for this at the moment. He had to settle for a long black hoodie with a big flaming skull printed on the back. He left the zipper open.

He grabbed his violin case and quickly got downstairs, all set and ready to go. Before he reached the hallway though, he remembered he had to tell his brother about your decision regarding the dinner. It would be better for everybody to give the lazy skeleton as much time to prepare for this as possible.

“ **Sans…?** ”, Edge approached the sofa. The TV was on, so he assumed his brother was already sprawled on his spot, but it was empty.

The smaller skeleton’s voice rang from the kitchen. “ **Here, bro.** ”

Sans appeared in the door and leaned on the doorframe, a mustard container in his hand. The taller skeleton recognized the blasted condiment but didn’t comment on that. (Edge’s face scrunched up in a disapproving grimace though.) He knew his older brother dealt with stress in various weird ways, so Edge only hoped it didn’t have any alcohol in it.

“ **The human agreed to come for dinner in a few days, so you’d better be working on something edible soon.** ”, he spoke in a warning tone.

Sans’ hands fell in an exasperated gesture and he tilted his head back just to groan loudly. “ **Uuuuuuugh... _Dishes_ a very bad idea, bro. I can’t cook for my life, you know it. ** ”

Edge rolled his eye lights at the shit-eating grin his brother had now plastered all over his face and walked towards the hallway. He was still going to be on time if he left now.

“ **Then let’s hope my human has a better _stomach_ for your food than I do for your lousy puns. ** ”, the taller skeleton spat back and opened up the door.

He left, smiling again, his brother’s honest chuckle still ringing in his head like the most beautiful melody in the world.

* * *

 

Like always, the tall skeleton chose to take the stairs instead of getting himself trapped in the small confines of the elevator. Edge still didn’t understand the appeal of the small shaky room so many people willingly entered instead of walking on sturdy steps. It seemed lazy to him, though he knew some of the humans (and even sometimes monsters) couldn’t be so picky. It was for the better now, as Edge preferred not to meet any humans on his way to the audition.

When he finally reached the floor there was no soul in the dirty hallways, though he heard a hum of many voices coming from the rehearsal room. There was no music yet, which told him he arrived just on time. On his way, he cast a puzzled look at the stolen park bench that was moved outside the room and was currently blocking the way to the rest of the floor’s rooms. The poster about the audition was attached to the door with a few pieces of stick tape and somebody wrote “HERE” on it with a marker in a neat looking handwriting.

Somebody started playing on their instrument - it sounded like a weird saxophone to him - as Edge entered the rehearsal room and looked around to find you and the rest of your group. You were all sitting on small stools in front of a cleared floor, already listening to the first performer, but the skeleton’s appearance didn’t go unnoticed by the ever vigilant human.

Toby raised his hand a little to give him a timid wave but froze when he noticed what the skeleton was holding in his hand. The small human paled immediately and tried to hide the dark violin case that was lying beside him with his checkered hoodie - to no avail. It seemed like he didn’t listen to the monster and brought a borrowed instrument after all. Edge did scowl at this, but at the same time felt a little grateful. If he hadn’t managed to retrieve his own violin on time, the drummer was there to help him.

The small commotion that Toby had made somehow distracted the performer who looked towards the door and noticed the big scary skeleton that had suddenly appeared there. A few false notes filled the air in the room when the musician tried to quickly compose himself despite the intimidating figure standing on the verge of his field of view. The black hoodie Edge wore did nothing to lessen the ‘Grim Reaper’ vibe he was giving off and Edge suspected his scowl wasn’t helping either.

Other people in the room - mostly humans but there were also some monsters - noticed him too and began shifting uncomfortably around him. Some unpleasant words whispered here and there reached the skeleton’s acute sense of hearing and that made him grimace even more. He decided to bear with the tense atmosphere around him and didn’t move towards the other musicians that were awaiting their turn since he was sure no one would like to stand next to somebody like him.

The auditionee that was performing went back to playing the rest of his piece, though Edge got the impression he didn’t sound as good as he did before the skeleton monster appeared. It was quite funny to be the reason for this, but at the same time Edge wasn’t happy this was happening right now. He almost _felt_ the cautious and frightened gazes the other performers were casting in his direction and ultimately decided to wait outside the room.

With an unhappy huff, that was loud enough for some of the musicians to hear but quiet enough to go unnoticed by the performer and the judges, he walked out of the room. He chose the wall closer to the staircase than to the elevator to lean on and crossed his arms on his chest.

He usually didn’t mind it when other people avoided angering him and kept their distance, but this time the effect of his ever-scowling face and monster heritage was a burden for him. Edge should be used to that by now, but he only noticed this fact when this type of reaction wasn’t what he needed.

He didn’t come here to scare people or to fight but to perform… to be a _part_ of something. It seemed he wished for too much this time - he reaped what he sowed with his whole appearance and demeanor.

The skeleton remained in the hallway for now. A few performers had their chance to show off their musical skills and Edge listened to their pieces and to what your lot was saying about them. Usually, everybody got one chance to play their piece, but sometimes Damien told them to play something else, for various reasons. Some of the musicians were just downright horrible, though nobody interrupted them and the bassist let them down gently enough to avoid the needless drama. There were also some people who sounded quite well, even for a nitpicking asshole like him. Edge was a little surprised by how many people came to the audition, but it seemed that Cindy was the one to take the blame for that - she cheerfully greeted almost half of the musicians with her high pitched voice.

Every performer that had finished playing was told to wait a few days for Damien to give them a call about whether they’ve got the part or not. The band wasn’t deciding the outcome right away, needing the time to discuss every single performer properly amongst the rest of the group. As far as Edge was listening, he didn’t hear Toby talk much at all, so perhaps this was for the sake of the drummer to give him a chance to voice his opinion in a less crowded environment.

From time to time there were people leaving the rehearsal room and heading towards the elevator. Some of them noticed a dark looming figure leaning on the wall near the corner of the hallway and hastened their steps in fright. Edge didn’t react in any way, knowing that whatever he did, it wouldn’t change much.

The skeleton figured about half of the auditionees had managed to play and leave before you walked into the hallway with the phone in your hand. You were pressing a few buttons quickly, a small frown on your face when you finally noticed the monster standing near the staircase.

“Oh, Edge.”, you called with a hint of relief in your voice. You stopped typing immediately and pocketed your phone while approaching him. Edge wondered if you were just texting him to ask where he was. “I thought you went home.”

“ **I _never_ back down from a challenge, human.** ”, he immediately scoffed at you but grimaced a little when another pair of humans scurried away when they laid their eyes on the big skeleton. “ **I just prefer it when the competition is fair.** ”

“Really?”, you looked over your shoulder at the big man with an electric guitar’s case in hand that was frantically pressing the ‘down’ button. “That’s quite thoughtful of you.”

Edge wasn’t sure if you were playfully mocking him or actually thought that was the case. When it came to you, both options could be true at the same time. “ ** _Hardly_. I just don’t want to be picked because all the other scaredy-shits ran away or weren’t able to play without pissing themselves… It’s about music, isn’t it?** ”

You smiled and then leaned on the wall right next to him, almost touching his elbow with your shoulder. “Yeah. That too.”, you hummed thoughtfully.

“ **What?** ”, Edge muttered, already recognizing signs telling you had something on your mind.

“I really hope you will rock it. It would be fun to have you around more often.”, you answer with a giddy tone.

“ **Shall I assume I have your vote already?** ”, he smirked a little. Your words made him relax a little, though he didn’t even notice he was tense in the first place. It was nice to hear he wasn’t at all unwelcome here.

You wagged your index finger at him in a clearly chiding manner. “Tsk, tsk. I can’t tell you. I’m the judge after all and that wouldn’t be _fair_ now, would it?”

The skeleton nodded a few times, his smirk more prominent now. “ **True.** ”

You pushed yourself away from the wall and stuffed your hands into your pockets. When you turned your head to look straight at him, you were more serious. “You wanna go last?”, you didn’t even try to hide the concern in your voice.

Edge scowled again, this time at your attempt to help him. He knew you weren’t trying to be patronizing towards him, but it felt like that anyways and he _hated_ being treated like a stupid child. The skeleton was about to bark something back at you when another bunch human shot him a scared glance as they were walking past the corner he hid in. Perhaps this wasn’t a good time for that.

“ **That… would be the best course of action.** ”, he growled unhappily.

“There’s still a few people left soooo…  I will come get you when it’s your turn.”, you smiled at him again and slowly placed your hand on his shoulder. “Sounds good, Michael Edgeson?”

The skeleton turned his head a little to look at your hand but didn’t do anything to indicate any discomfort and nodded again. You walked back to the rehearsal room shortly after that, leaving him with a faint warm feeling on his shoulder. Edge sighed softly and kept waiting for his turn.

The audition continued and more people were leaving the building. Not all of them were performing, some came here just to cheer on their friends, partners or family members. Edge observed them from his spot as they cheerfully babbled about the music or instruments, comforted the stressed auditionees or just listened about their experience with a smile. Even if they knew not all of them had a chance to join the band, they looked _happy_.

The skeleton was frowning so much the tense feeling on his forehead began to irritate him and he tried to force his bone brows to relax. He was pressing his wrist to his head when you finally came back for him.

“You okay?”, you asked, your voice laced with worry.

“ **Yes. I’m fine. I take it it’s finally my turn?** ”, he stepped away from the wall and motioned at the door.

“Yep. But we could postpone it if you’re not feeling well… or something…”, you were smiling again in that gentle and understanding manner.

“ **No.** ”, he grumbled quickly catching what you meant. “ **I’m not _that_ tired. I didn’t overstrain myself just for your entertainment, so don’t flatter yourself.** ”

“Alrighty then!”, you raised your voice a bit and ran inside the room as he followed.

When he entered the room, you were already sitting between Cindy and Toby, wriggling a little and making them both giggle at your antics. Damien was still occupying the seat next to the small human and looked quite tired. The audition did last for more than two hours already, so Edge wasn’t surprised to see that. The skeleton wasn’t going to make your group wait any longer, so he took off his hoodie  - he wasn’t fond of having anything constricting his movements while he was playing - and produced the violin from the case.

Edge was truly the last performer. The whole room seemed huge to him now when it was empty, with all the musical instruments moved to the side to make a place for the audition. It was also eerily quiet in here, even with your silent whispers echoing around him. He felt uncomfortable as he finally stepped into the middle of the ‘stage’ and faced the four judges.

“When you’re ready.”, Damien said in a neutral tone. 

The skeleton didn’t need to be told twice. A few seconds later he was already holding his instrument clutched between his chin and his shoulder and he started playing. He figured the best piece would be the one he played so often with Undyne he could perform it in his sleep. The fish monster loved it because of its aggressive tone with more nostalgic fragments. Overall, the song felt passionate and strong, just like the Ex-Captain of the Royal Guard that once was Edge’s friend.

But…

There was something wrong. He felt rusty and he didn’t like how the violin sounded under his phalanges - almost as if the instrument itself was disobeying him because of his previous abusive actions. It wasn’t the instrument’s fault though, he was certain of it. Most of the notes were clear and sharp as a knife, the strings were perfectly tuned. It was him who was making mistakes, which frustrated him. Maybe the song wasn’t a good one for him this time or maybe the long break he had made him unable to play as good as he remembered.

He couldn’t focus on playing and his gaze started to wander about the room. It was still empty and Edge suddenly got painfully aware how hollow the space surrounding him sounded. Looking at the judges didn’t help him either - seeing all four of you distracted him even further.

You and Cindy were staring at him with your eyes opened wide, but it was hard to tell whether you were amazed to see and hear his performance or just surprised that he was able to play at all. Damien was scowling as if the skeleton was murdering the poor violin on the stage in front of his very eyes. Only Toby seemed impressed. His face was lit up the way Edge saw when the small human first heard him play on his weird instrument.

The skeleton decided to focus on the drummer, who got beet red the moment he noticed that Edge was staring straight at him and hid his face in his small hands. Fortunately, the piece wasn’t long enough for him to properly lose his focus because of that. When he finished, there were a few seconds of silence that weighed on him like a cold and wet blanket. He shouldn’t feel like that, not here, not on a stupid audition to your stupid band.

Damien was about to say something, the first syllable already voiced, but Toby grabbed his wrist to get the human’s attention. The bassist frowned even more but leaned to the boy to hear what he had to say. Edge wasn’t able to catch what that was, though he really wanted to because Damien’s expression went even sourer. He was now certain that you, Cindy and Toby were the only ones happy for the monster to even be here.

“If you _insist_ …”, the human let out a deep tired sigh, though his tone was still forced to sound neutral. “Do you have something else you can play?”

Edge blinked a few times. “ **... Yes.** ”, he finally spoke up in a very cautious tone.

“Well then…”, Damien gestured at the skeleton and then prepped his chin on his hand.

The weight on his soul made him pause for a moment before he finally managed to choose another piece to play. His phalanges moved slowly to positions and he closed his eyes.

When the first notes rang in the air, he felt he’d made a good choice this time… or that the violin temporarily forgave him for the mistreatment. The frustration that was holding his soul in a tight grasp lessened a little as he allowed himself to relax his shoulders during the slow beginning of the piece.

When there was a time for stronger melody, he felt his body finally sway the way it was supposed to - with the rhythm of the song and the hum of his soul. Edge liked that simple piece for some unexplainable reason. Undyne often discouraged him from playing it, calling it too soft or not passionate enough, but that never worked on him. There was something… deep and solemn in this song, something that resonated deep within him. Something sad and angry, but also hopeful. That last part got to him the most.

Nothing distracted him this time, even when there were long silent moments in the melody. They felt like deep breaths between important sentences to him and he knew he was blissfully lost in music again. Even the audition didn’t matter to him anymore - just for that short moment, it was just him and the violin.

The last notes rang in the silence and only then Edge opened his eyes to look at the judges. It was a good call because Cindy was already on her way to him with a small pile of papers in her hand and you were bouncing happily right behind her. The skeleton took a cautious step back, but the female human didn’t risk damaging the violin and refrained from attacking him with her excessive affection.

“Would you be able to play this?!”, Cindy’s voice was really loud and filled with excitement when she almost shoved the papers into his face.

The skeleton grabbed them and recognized the handwriting in the neat small notes on the staff. He lifted his gaze to meet the small human's eyes, but Toby was already hiding his face again, his ears redder than his face. With a barely visible smirk, Edge took his time to really study the music sheet he received.

“ **I could, with some practice.** ”, he admitted in a pensive tone, seeing the music was written especially for the violin.

“ _Seriously_ , guys.”, Damien raised his voice, though it was only louder, not more aggressive. “You’re too quick with that. We still didn’t decide who will join us and as far as I remember, the other people’s performances were good too.”

“ **Your human friend is right. The audition was to choose somebody, so you should do something properly _for once_ , you miserable lot.**”, the skeleton said while handing Cindy back the papers. You giggled at his words, which made Edge really think about what he said. “ **Ugh… seriously?** ”

“It’s your fauuuuult~”, you pretended to whisper dramatically, but everybody in the room could hear you.

“For some inconceivable reason…”, the big human mumbled tiredly and looked straight at Edge. There was hostility in Damien’s stare that wasn’t there before and that took the skeleton by surprise.

“ **Is that all?** ”, he asked the tall human but quickly allowed his gaze to drop on your and Cindy’s smiling faces.

“Yeah. I have your number, so I’ll tell you how it went.”, you spoke up before anybody else got the chance.

“ **I see.** ”, Edge nodded and backed away from the group to secure his violin in the case.

The band was already gathered around the mismatched stools they were sitting on during the whole audition and discussing something when the last latch clicked in place. The skeleton raised his head to look at your… _Miserable Lot..._ and his thoughts wandered towards the music sheet Toby had written. Was it for him or did the small human just think that any violinist would be an interesting addition to the band? Edge quickly chided himself for having such stupid and hopeful thoughts - your group had still yet to decide who really deserved a place in the band and he was fairly certain that Damien wouldn’t let you all take a pick on a whim. The bassist was there to make sure the person would be chosen on fair terms.

The tall skeleton stood up with the black hoodie in his hand and put it on without hurry. The audition ended and he didn’t have anything to do for the rest of the evening except for getting a good night sleep before his work tomorrow. Edge straightened his clothes and grabbed the violin case with a soft sigh. He was already walking out of the rehearsal room when he heard you call him.

“Edgenstein! Would you walk me home?”, your voice was echoing a little in the empty room as you hurried to join the skeleton in the hallway. “I don’t have Ed with me today.”, you added in a whiny tone.

He rolled his eye lights at the mention of that damned anatomy prop. “ **Fine. Let’s go.** ”

“Cool! See ya later, guys!”, you turned around to shout into the rehearsal room and bounced like a stupid ball after the monster, who didn’t bother to wait for you.

* * *

Most of the way to your apartment passed in a pleasant silence. Or at least half silence, because you were humming some pieces you had heard that day and shuffling your shoes on the littered pavement. When Edge heard you switch the melody to the one he played last, he looked at you with the corner of his eye socket only to notice you stare right back at him with that smile of yours he still had trouble to read.

 Knowing you was the most bizarre and puzzling experience he had on the Surface. The relationship he had with you was odd, as he never thought he would call a human his friend. A _real_ friend. One he could trust enough to put his brother’s fate in their hands. When he thought about it sometimes, he was surprised he was even able to trust anybody like that - especially someone of your kind. The whole situation was even more perplexing when he noticed he both knew a lot and very little about you. He understood you in a way, he knew how you would react to some things before they happened, he learned about most of your likes and dislikes, but still … he felt as if he only scratched the surface. He wanted to know more, to understand your weirdness more, to get what was really going on in that crazy head of yours. There were some questions that were nagging him in the back of his mind every time his thoughts reached you and your role in his life. He wasn’t sure how to ask them or even if he should.

 “ **Human…** ”, he began when one of those thoughts decided to linger long enough for him to risk a question. You looked at him curiously as he continued. “ **... why _did_ you move? ** ”

Your expression shifted a little towards more surprised one. “I told you, to meet some monsters.”

“ **Just like that?** ”, he inquired. “ **Your list wasn’t that long when I first met you. And you didn’t manage to even fulfill _half_ of the items you’ve put there.** ” Edge squinted his eye sockets while staring at you. “ **It’s almost full _now_ … so I gather the idea to have a List of Buckets is quite a fresh one. And your insufferable mess looked like you had _just_ moved in then.** ”

“Yeah well…”, you lowered your gaze and kicked a piece of trash that had the bad luck to lie in your way. “I moved in about three months ago…? Give or take a week. It was a _big_ hassle to get all my stuff from overseas though, so I won’t be repeating this feat anytime soon.”, you chuckled, but the skeleton immediately noticed something was off.

Edge cocked his head a little, still staring at you. “ **You could have just visited to meet the monsters. Yet you decided to take _all_ your belongings and ended up here.** ”, he pointed out. “ **Besides… most of the monsters have already moved to bigger cities, only the ones who managed to start some businesses here remained. There’s nothing to do here either. It’s a _shithole_.** ”

“Did you just call bullshit on my explanation?”, you huffed in a mock offense.

“ **In a way.** ”, he answered cautiously.

It was clear to him there was something odd in the tone of your voice and overall behavior now. You seemed more guarded, but did nothing to discourage him from pushing you for answers. He wanted to respect your boundaries like you did with his, but _how_ was he supposed to do that when he didn’t know where they ended?

You let out a deep sigh and hunched your shoulders a bit. “You’re right, Edge. I didn’t move here _just_ to see you and your kind.”, you admitted in a tad defeated tone, still looking at the pavement in front of your feet.  “It was… just a factor that helped me choose where to go and start fresh. I felt _suffocated_ at home, everybody acting towards me as if I was… dunno… broken or something.”

Your voice trailed off for a moment, but Edge was listening to you intently and waiting for you to continue if you wish. There was this weight in your tone that was new to him and he really wanted to understand where all of this came from.

“I _knew_ nothing would be the same after… after my dad died… but…”, you finally tilted your head to look at your skeleton friend. “You know… one would think everybody would at least _try_ to go back to normal life. Somehow. But they didn’t. Or… well…”, you huffed with a slight annoyance and rubbed your left forearm before stuffing both your hands deep into your pockets. “The ones around me didn’t.”

“I know it’s… selfish or something.”, you said a little louder. “But _I don’t care_. I wanted to breathe again and I can do that here.”

He listened to every single word you said, his full attention focused solely on you, and he felt how his soul clenched a little. You were always so happy and full of energy, always smiling, yet you had lost somebody not so long ago. Edge remembered the tattoos you had on your forearms, especially the one with the date and everything clicked into place. Even your stupid bucket list somehow began to fit in the whole picture perfectly.

You had encountered death of somebody close to you and now you looked at the world through changed eyes. He began to wonder whether you were more like Sans with the smile that hid your grief. There were some similarities when Edge thought about it now. The tall skeleton didn’t remember their parents, but the older brother did. There was always something odd in Sans' eye lights when they touched that subject. Warmth. Sadness. Bitterness. Even anger. He saw something similar in your eyes now.

The silence that fell between you and the skeleton was heavy and filled with anticipation for… something. For some reaction. Edge felt the need to say something. Humans did have their customs when it came to those kinds of situations, right?

He remembered a phrase he heard a few times. “ **My condo-** ”

“ _Don’t._ ”, you snapped at him.

He shut his jaw this instant, surprised by your sharp tone and even a little worried that he fucked up by misusing something from the human culture. Before he even managed to try and fix it, you spoke again.

“Just… don’t, Edge.”, your voice was soft and apologetic now. “I’ve heard enough ‘ _I’m sorries_ ’ and ‘ _My sincere condolences_ ’ to last a lifetime. That’s why I left. I…”, you turned to look him in the eye. “I wanted you to know since you noticed and asked. But I really don’t want you to treat me differently because of that. Not _you_.”

The sincerity in your voice and your gaze left him speechless for a short while. He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea to be different towards you because of what he heard. It didn’t change anything except for his understanding of how you work and it was for the better. If you were worried he would act as if you were made of glass because of your grief, that wasn’t the case. You had dealt with an angry and scary skeleton from the very beginning like a champ and, as far as Edge was concerned, your resilience was pretty fucking impressive.

When he collected himself his own tone was somber but confident. “ **Why would I? You’re still the same person to me.** ”

You nodded a few times and resumed looking at your shoes. After a few steps, you sighed the way that Edge recognized - you were going to say something. He turned his head to look at you before you did and noticed a timid smile on your lips.

“I don’t want to treat you differently either, whatever you're going to tell me. I won’t.”, you took a sudden step towards him and your shoulder bounced gently on his pointy elbow in a playful manner.

You silly behavior didn’t make him change his pace or even sway to the side, but it left a warm feeling on the bones of his arm. He noticed the feeling was different than when he was wearing his jacket - the leather was thicker and those light touches were barely noticeable because of that. The hoodie seemed somehow a better choice now. 

“ **I know that.** ”, he responded calmly, but deep inside wondered how much about him did you guess correctly. It wasn’t hard to imagine that his life or his previous occupation wasn’t kind to him. Some scars were always there for everybody to see after all. 

Edge didn't even notice you both had reached the apartment building. He allowed you to go first when you reached the stairs to your loft and caught up to you in the hallway. It was quiet again and the skeleton wondered how many people even lived here.

“It’s sometimes…”, you began, but then the words betrayed you this time. 

“ **… too much to take in at once and react like you think you should?** ”, Edge contributed, feeling those words were really close to what he thought when he heard your story.

You chuckled softly and stopped in front of the metal door to your apartment. “Yeah. Exactly.”, your voice was more relaxed now and you shot him another smile. 

“Since we were talking about my _stupid_ _list_ …”, you mimicked his tone again, but that was more amusing to him now than annoying. “Care to come in and help me paint on a big ass canvas?” 

“ **Do I have to?** ”, he leaned on the wall next to you and watched how you fiddle for keys in your pockets. 

“Nope.”, you laughed and finally stuck the keys in the door. The key ring jingled loudly when it struck the metal. “But there’s another skeleton waiting in line, so you know... _Last chance_.”

“ **Not today, human.** ”, he shook his head. He couldn’t stifle an amused huff at your wiggling eyebrows as you opened the door wide. “ **Ed’s still at your place?** ”

“Yeah.”, you entered the loft and stood right in the middle of the doorstep, one hand on the knob. “I figured I’ll keep him until Halloween. I don’t want him to miss our concert.”, you suddenly began closing the door and changed your tone to playfully annoyed one. “If you’re so worried about our precious skeleton, I will talk about shared custody only in the presence of our lawyers!”

You shut the door with a slam and yelled “Bye, Edge!” from the other side.

Edge chuckled again and turned around to finally head home. You sure were a weird one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Feel free to tell me what are your thoughts about this chapter and the whole story!
> 
>  As for the next chapter... are you ready to deal with a house full of skeletons?
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.  
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Beautiful Fanarts:  
> [ by littleblue5mcdork](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i) \- the cutest Edge with hearts in his eyes  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
> Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	18. Rain Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready for a lot of skellies in your life at once?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go, my lovely Readers. You finally get to visit the skeleton's house and meet all the other wonderful calcium creatures! Prepare your stomachs for lots of puns and a pile of apology food!
> 
> Thank you for your lovely ideas for the dish that Red was supposed to cook! Had to choose only one otherwise, Reader would explode.

 Edge didn’t really have a chance to spend time with you for a few days after the audition - it was either your busy schedule or his work that forced you both to postpone any plans. It gave him a lot of time to think about the recent conversation he had with you, the one concerning your loss and the reason you moved to Ebott. It really explained a lot of things he thought were odd in you. The skeleton also felt more at ease, as the new information about you made the relationship with him a little more… equal? There was always this weird nagging thought in his mind that you had accidentally learned about something only the closest people knew, something he was ashamed of, his _weakness_. It’s not like you would ever try to use that against him, but at the same time his old habits died really hard and it was weighing on him that you had this advantage over him. But now the imbalance between you and the skeleton monster shifted. It was better and safer in a way.

 There were _more_ things he wished to know, of course. The longer he knew you, the more he was drawn to your world and to the way you looked at everything. Somebody who was touched by death in any way was always different from the rest. Edge and his brother experienced this too, but many times more, sometimes even dealing the finishing blow by themselves. They both still wanted to live, but it was a bitter and distrustful life at best. And sometimes… just numb.

 You were full of will to live that was thriving and pushing you forward. You took a horrible and debilitating experience and changed it into something beautiful. He admired you for that. He also envied you. Perhaps spending time with you could help him live a little more too?

 Despite the lack of time to spend it together, you were flooding Edge with silly messages at every waking hour and he managed to respond to most of them almost immediately. He didn’t dare to turn off the notifications again, not willing to repeat the situation when you needed him and he couldn’t be there for you. He also hoped you would soon tell him whether he will be a part of The Miserable Lot or not. So far, you didn’t mention the audition even once.

 After a week, you finally managed to find time in the upcoming weekend to come to the skeleton’s house. Edge didn’t remind you about that himself, giving you a free choice about that, though he sometimes wanted to. Ultimately the date was set. If Sans was getting nervous about the whole idea of cooking for somebody who had smacked him in the head instead of running away before, now he was so anxious it irritated the tall skeleton _to bits_. All the fidgeting, stuff falling out of his hands and nervous questions whether you were sure you wanted to come finally made Edge snap and yell at the lazy skeleton for that. It was stupid and uncalled for, as he later realized. Both of them were equally nervous about the upcoming dinner, each for their own reasons.

 When the day finally came, Edge took his motorcycle for a longer ride to unwind a little before picking you up. It did help him to some extent, but he still was far from calm - he felt a tight knot wrapped around his soul. Again, it was _stupid_ to feel like that, but Edge was concerned about how all of this will turn out. He hadn’t talked to you about the day Sans broke into your apartment at all and now his reluctance to communicate properly like an adult came back and bit him in the coccyx.

 Would you get along with his brother? What would you think of the other Sans? Would that fucker _dare_ to threaten you during the dinner? Weren’t three skeleton monsters at once too much for a human, even as crazy as you?

 It was too late for those thoughts though. You were already waiting for the skeleton in front of your apartment building when he arrived. The moment he saw you, you were smiling like it was Gyftmas and he remembered you had wanted to ride with him for some time, but there had never been a chance. Nor was he willing to give you a ride before. It’s strange how his attitude had shifted these past few weeks.

 “ **Here. Put this on.** ”, Edge handed you a spare helmet he took with him this time. He rarely needed it at all, but Papyrus had insisted to buy one a long time ago, ‘ _for a friend_ ’ Edge doubted he would ever have. It was both amusing and irritating how the cheerful skeleton was right all the fucking time.

 You took the helmet into your hands, but instead of doing what you’re told, you focused on the motorcycle. The skeleton was observing you curiously as you were walking around his vehicle and touching all the shiny black and silver parts that you could reach. “This is _so cool_. I’ve always wanted a bike back home, but everybody told me it’s too dangerous. People in cars ride like _pricks_ in my country, you know…”

 Edge squinted his eyes a little. “ **But you did ride a motorcycle before, right?** ”, he asked, suddenly aware he didn’t know that piece of information about you. There was something about bikes on your List of Buckets, but he was certain you had already crossed that out, so he assumed you had.

 “Yeah. It’s different to have your own though.”, with a smile, you looked at the helmet in your hands and immediately lit up even more. “Hey! It’s almost like a date! You know? Anime style.”

 The skeleton was totally caught off guard with your words. Before he could even think about what he was saying, he spat at you in an annoyed voice “ **No, it’s not! What are you, stupid?! You watch too much of that _shit_!** ”

 As always, you weren’t amused by his raised voice and rude remark. “I said _almost_.”, you shrugged and turned your attention to the helmet in your hands, ignoring the skeleton’s outburst.

 “ **It’s far from a date, human.** ”, he managed to collect himself. You were at it again, poking this idiotic kind of humor at him. “ **Stop spewing _nonsense_ or you can walk all the way there by yourself.** ”

 You chuckled, not moved by his threat, _again_ \- you had noticed already that half of those were empty when it came to you. “Aw, _come on_ , Don Juan de Edge. Tell me what would a real date with you look like then.”, you winked and tried to put the helmet on. If riding a motorcycle was something you had done before, putting a helmet on your head was something entirely new to you.

 The skeleton was glaring at you and your clumsy attempts to find out how the safety measure worked, but he let out a loud huff to get a better control over his irritation. “ **And _why_ would I date a disgusting human?** ”

 “I’m not saying that you _would_. Just indulge me.”, you turned the helmet upside down and eyed the blasted thing carefully. He wondered if you really didn’t know how to use it or it was just another way to annoy him. “Pretend I’m a monster if that’s easier. Or describe a date you think would be cool enough for you.”

 “ **For fuck’s sake… I SAID PUT! THE HELMET! ON!** ”, he growled at you angrily. He wasn’t sure whether he was annoyed because of your reluctance to finally join him on the motorcycle or because of the topic you suddenly picked. “ **Give me that, you contemptible wight!** ”

 “ _Alright, alright_ … so?”, you surrendered the helmet and waited patiently for him to get off the motorcycle and secure the stupid headpiece on your stupid head.

 He focused on his task, but his thoughts began to wander. He had _never_ actually been on a proper date in his life. He did have his dating manual he had found in the dumpster a long time ago, lost to him now in another world, and he saw a similar one that Papyrus owned (and stars, there were some big differences). He also saw a lot of examples of human dates in the movies he was often forced to see with the rest of the skeletons, but that was all of his ‘dating experience’.

 First and foremost, he never was a dating type. There was nobody in the Underground he considered fit for him, even with all the flirting some of the monsters did to worm their way into his good graces when he was the Captain of the Royal Guard. The other reason was… safety. He couldn’t allow himself to show the other monsters that there is somebody besides Sans that he somewhat cared about. Protecting one person was hard. Protecting two people at once was fucking impossible. Besides… caring about somebody was always considered a weakness. And  _weak monsters_...

 “ **For starters…** ”, he spat while making sure the helmet sits on your head properly. Somehow he couldn’t meet your gaze. “ **There are some fucking _rules_ to dating. It would be _absurd_ to call it ‘almost a date’ like you did. You would know it is a date because I would make _sure_ of it.** ”

 “ _Okay~_ ”, you answered in a sing-song tone.

 “ **And I…** ”, he hesitated for a moment and decided to mask it by sitting back in the motorcycle’s seat. “ **... I would care enough to learn what you like the most. So I could take you there or arrange it. _Somehow_.** ”, he barked at you with annoyance clear in his voice. “ **It should be something that sweeps you out of your feet, so you’d know how great your datemate is.** ”

 “Soooo…”, you started while sitting behind him. “A good date for you would be when _you_ try to impress _me_ and succeed with flying colors?”

 “ **Precisely.** ”, he grumbled to you and raised his voice again. “ **Now hold onto me and don’t let go. I won’t be collecting your squishy ass off the streets if you fall off.** ”

 Only when he said those words you moved to touch him. He felt you shift much closer to him from behind and your hands sneaked under his arms to wrap around his torso. But…

 “ **DON’T!** ”, he spat suddenly and you stopped your movements at the same moment. “ **... don’t touch my spine.** ”, he finished with a huff.

 You let out your breath you were apparently holding and embraced him around the ribs. Edge felt how your chest presses against his back firmly. For some reason, he wondered how _different_ the sensation would be if he had that black hoodie on him, not his usual leather jacket.

 “Aye aye, captain.”, you said in a joking tone while moving your hips a little closer. You froze again, this time not because of him. “Uh. Wait… _no_. I didn’t say that. Nope.”, you sputtered quickly. Your voice was muffled a little by the helmet. “Forget about it. I’m holding on. Keeping still. Not touching the spine. Not letting go.”

 He shook his head a little. “ **Just shut up...** ”, he muttered. He wasn’t angry about the captain thing. Truth be told, he was more amused by your reaction to your own slip of the tongue. But your previous questions got him thinking and his mind was a little too occupied to say something more quippy.

 The motorcycle roared to life and he turned the vehicle to ride back home, this time with you on the back of the seat.

* * *

 

Due to the loud rumble of the engine, you didn’t talk at all during the ride. All you did was holding quite tight to him, just like he had told you to. It took some time for the warmth of your body to seep through the thick leather of his jacket and he welcomed that familiar sensation without a second thought. Somehow, the fact that your body produced heat all the time was beginning to feel normal for him. It stopped being weird a while ago and the skeleton even liked it a little. It was always cold in Snowdin and (except for Hotland) the Underground wasn’t a particularly warm place to begin with, so it was pleasant to feel your body next to his now.

The garage door was open, waiting for the skeleton and the guest to arrive. He parked his motorcycle inside and you let him go the moment the engine got turned off. He looked over his shoulder at you, but instead meeting your eyes, he saw you were already drawn to the various tools he and Papyrus had gathered in here.

He took his helmet off and collected yours - you had already removed it from your head before leaning over the workbench in the corner. After hitting a button on the wall, the garage door began to close in its painfully slow and loud manner. Edge assumed that the whole household knew already he had arrived.

He led you to the side door and prayed to the stars that his brother was really ready to welcome you like a penitent adult. He was, of course, wrong.

“ **How ya doin’, sugar?** ”, Sans asked while leaning on the doorframe the moment the door opened wide. His red eye lights were already fixed on your face, smile wide with the golden tooth glinting in the low light of the glow tube. The taller skeleton noticed that his brother looked tense, though he tried to act like nothing unusual was happening.

Edge rolled his own eye lights and stifled a groan that was building up in his chest already. This is _not_ how a proper apology should look like and trying to be suave was _not_ a good way to even start doing that.

“ _Ohhhh_!”, you squealed with delight, making both of the brothers look at you with surprise, but your excited behavior was quickly clarified by your next words. “You have a _dog_!”

A second later, you were right beside the couch in the living room, leaning over the lazy mutt that was lying there for good half of the day. You carefully presented your outstretched hand to the dog to be smelled and accepted before you proceeded to pet it.

Both skeletons were still standing in the doorway, dumbfounded by your sudden shift in interest. Edge was aware of your weird tactics when it came to him and his angry tantrums, but he didn’t expect you to use it on his brother. Or at least, not so soon.

“ **I… kinda deserved that…** ”, Sans mumbled to himself.

“ **_You think?_ ** ”, the tall skeleton spat at him and closed the door with a loud bang. You ignored that too, but somebody else got woken up by all the commotion.

“uh… that’s a _ruff_ way to wake somebody up, to say the _leashed_.”, the other Sans, who was apparently obliviously napping on the couch, said that a husky and sleepy voice while leaning over the armrest to look at the human guest.

“Oh… hello. I didn’t notice you there, sorry.”, you smiled at the new skeleton.

“ **You were supposed to _do_ something when I left, lazybones.** ”, Edge grumbled at him and ignored the awful puns he was using. The tall skeleton walked to the hallway to take off his jacket, but you didn’t follow, still occupied both with petting the dog’s fur and staring back at that cowardly skeleton.

“ _whelp_. i was _dog_ tired, so i decided to take a nap instead.”, he answered without even casting a glance at Edge. His full attention was on you. “you don’t seem to have your _hounds_ full here, pal.”, he smiled at you while closing one of his eye sockets in a taunting manner. “is it _paw_ ssible for you to share your attention between two heads?”

“Sure, no problem.”, you jumped at the idea immediately, stunning another skeleton in your wake. You didn’t touch him until he leaned closer to allow you to pet his bare skull, but he did look both perplexed and a little flustered from where Edge was standing.

“if i knew this worked, i would have used that line every time i go out with rock. heh.”, he said in an amused tone.

The skeleton with the golden tooth joined you and the other skeleton next to the couch, clearly disgruntled by the fact that your attention was taken by somebody else than him. “ **The human is quite _fetching_ , but I didn’t know ya gonna be head over _heels_ already. ** ”, he grumbled while prepping his elbows on the backrest.

“i know, dude. it’s mind- _beagle_ -ing.”, the other Sans answered without hesitation, his eye sockets half closed. “but don’t _terrier_ self about it.”

Edge growled loudly from the hallway, “ **Oh my god, _stop it_!** ”

You laughed, though it was hard to say whether it was because of the pun or the tall skeleton’s reaction, and you had to stop petting both affection craving creatures because of that. “Okay, you’re funny.”

“nah. i’m _sans_. sans the skeleton. _howl_ do ya do?”, he grinned wider when Edge couldn’t stifle another groan. You shook Sans’ lazily outstretched hand and fortunately, there was no whoopee cushion prank this time.

“I’m ________.”, you smiled at the punning skeleton but frowned a second later. “Sans? Wait…”, you turned your head to look at his more edgy counterpart.

“ **Yep. We both share the same name.** ”, he answered your unspoken question while placing his chin on his bony hand.

“Okay. I guess it’s not confusing for you since you know each other pretty well.”, you said and finally straightened yourself. It turned out you were only a little shorter than Edge’s brother.

“ **I go by Red sometimes.** ”, he leaned closer to you and winked. “ **But ya can call me whatever ya want, sugar.** ”

Edge was already on his way to the living room to grab his insufferable brother by the collar and drag his sorry ass away from you, but it quickly turned out it wasn’t you who needed his rescue. Again.

“Alright, _Annie_ _._ ”, you said without missing a beat and squinted your eyes.

The skeleton in a red sweater backed away from you, surprise clear on his face. “ **... A-Annie…?** ”

“Yeah…”, you prepped your hands on your hips. “I always wanted a friend named _Annie_.”, you said in a tone Edge was able to recognize. You were mercilessly aiming to jape him.

The other Sans had clearly figured that out too because Edge could hear a muffled chuckle coming from behind the backrest. He felt somewhat glad you were clearly not overwhelmed with the attention both small skeletons were giving you, but at the same time, he was a little annoyed with how it looked like with the insufferable Sans in the whole picture.

“So…”, you took a step closer to the skeleton in front of you. “Now I can ask… _are you ok, Annie?_ ”, you said clearly pronouncing the question the way that was familiar to Edge.

After a silent second that rang in the air, the Sans that was still lying on the couch suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter. He tried to stifle it by pulling his hood over his skull, but that didn’t help.

“ **Shut. The fuck. Up** **.** ”, Edge barked at him.

You were giggling too, but the tall skeleton couldn’t be angry at you. Besides, he recognized the expression you had when you were looking at his brother. There was this familiar warmth in your smile and Edge understood what were you trying to accomplish.

“ **... very funny.** ”, the skeleton with golden tooth grumbled, but his smile relaxed a little despite the fun two people were having at his expense.

“No, but really. _Are_ you ok? I did hit you pretty hard back then…”, you cocked your head while staring at Sans’ face as if looking for the remnants of his close encounter with your tennis racket.

The concern in your voice as well as your sudden jump to the main reason you were even at their house startled the small skeleton a little. “ **Y-yeah…** ”, he took another step back and shrugged stiffly. “ **Well… I was later hungover too, so I can’t give ya the full credit for my headache, sugar.** ”

You immediately frowned. “ _Oh_. I’m so so-”

“ **_Nope._ ** ”, Sans raised his bony finger and you closed your mouth without finishing the sentence. “ **Nope. Ya did _nothin’_ wrong. Got my ass kicked fair and square, no hard feelings ‘bout that on my part. ** ”

You were silent for a moment, but after a second your frown disappeared, replaced with that honest smile of yours. “Okay. If you say so.”, you relented and finally remembered you should take off your jacket too.

While you were in the hallway, taking care of your outerwear and shoes, Edge stared his brother down with a clearly annoyed glare. The small skeleton just shrugged helplessly and gestured at you with both of his hands as if your sole existence was the only explanation needed to justify his inability to apologize. The whole exchange happened behind your back and when you turned around, both of them were standing next to each other as if nothing had happened a second ago.

“paps’ gonna be back any minute. he texted me he got held back at work _fur_ a while, but he should make it in time.”, the lazy Sans finally changed his position, only to lean over the backrest of the couch while kneeling on his seat. He was still curiously staring at you and Edge found that irritating.

“So…”, you walked back towards the couch, your arms swaying playfully on your sides.

Before anybody got the time to suggest a new topic to talk about or any activity, a lock in the front door jangled. Everyone's eyes darted in that direction in unison and after a second, a tall skeleton entered the hallway.

“I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR BEING LATE!”, Papyrus called without even looking towards the living room. He quickly slipped his shoes off and left his black briefcase next to the shoe rack. “IS OUR GUEST ALREADY… OH.”

The tall skeleton stopped mid-step to look at you. A smile immediately lit up his face and he walked up to you in a few long paces. “ _AH_! YOU MUST BE _______, EDGE’S HUMAN. I'M PAPYRUS!”, Papyrus extended his hand towards you in a practiced manner. Edge stopped himself from correcting that you were not ‘his human’, as you didn’t seem to notice this particular word choice.

The cheerful skeleton was in his work ensemble with a delta rune embroidered on his chest and a colorful scarf still loosely wrapped around his neck. Somehow he made a quite strong first impression - you were staring at him with your mouth a little open, but accepted his hand without a second thought.

“Nice to meet you... damn…”, you muttered while shaking his gloved hand. “I didn’t know skeletons look so sharp in suits.”

“NYEH. WHY, THANK YOU, HUMAN.”, Papyrus’ smile got wider and a slight blush appeared on his cheekbones. “I NEED TO LOOK THE GREATEST WHILE MEETING ALL THOSE IMPORTANT INDIVIDUALS. THE KING STILL DOESN’T AGREE WITH ME IN THAT MATTER.”, the cheerful skeleton looked at Edge and his grin got a little more mischievous. “IT’S GOOD TO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE STANDARDS, _______.”

The other tall skeleton rolled his eyelights a little.

“HAVE YOU ENTERTAINED OUR GUEST ALREADY?”, Papyrus looked expectantly at the other skeletons.

“yep. we’re working our _tails_ off here, paps.”, the lazy skeleton rested his chin on the backrest right in front of him. “red’s putting a _mastiff_ effort into that too.”

“THAT’S GOOD TO HE-”, the loud skeleton’s voice trailed off as he shut his jaw with a clank. “I WILL NOT DIGNIFY THOSE WITH ANY ANSWER.”, he huffed in exasperation. “I’LL NEED TO CHANGE BEFORE THE MEAL, BUT I THINK IT’S HIGH TIME YOU INVITED OUR LOVELY GUEST TO THE DINING ROOM.”

A suggestion was quite clear as both small skeletons immediately obeyed and scurried towards the kitchen, though Edge’s brother was clearly the one who was in more hurry than the other skeleton. Papyrus nodded approvingly at the effect his word invoked and after casting one last wide smile at you, he rushed upstairs with his usual enthusiasm.

“Damn…”, you muttered again. “I really _need_ to dress Ed in a suit now. He would look dashing.”

“ **Don’t you even start.** ”, Edge growled at you and your bizarre idea. Now he will think about that stupid anatomy prop dressed as his tall brother. He grabbed you by the shoulders to turn you around and push you towards the kitchen door. You were chuckling again and the tall skeleton felt how your shoulders shake from mirth under his hands. A thought came to him that this dinner wasn’t such a disastrous idea after all.

* * *

 

“ **_Orange_ you going to help me, lazybones? ** ”, the small skeleton in a red sweater was bustling about the kitchen and taking plates and cutlery out of the cupboards.

“don’t be un _raisin_ able, red. ya were cooking that, so go _nuts_ with the rest of the preparation. wouldn’t dream to interrupt ya.”, the other Sans was already sitting at the table right next to you. His feet were dangling in the air and he dropped one of his ugly pink slippers.

“ **I know that this dinner is _nacho_ problem, but all this cookin’ was a big sacri _fries_ on my part.** ”, the small counterpart answered immediately and grinned wider when he heard your chuckling.

The two small skeletons were throwing puns around the kitchen like there was no tomorrow. It finally occurred to Edge that both of them were just showing off to amuse you. He was ready to deal with the fact that Papyrus would hog you for the rest of the evening - being the true social butterfly of their lot - but he had never suspected _this_ to happen. It was weird to see how Sans and his counterpart became competitive when it came to you and your attention. They were bantering as if they were twins that didn’t want to share a new favorite toy, not two instances of the same person.

“ _donut_ tell me it was too much for ya. one meal isn’t something that _cereal_ for you to accomplish.”, Sans cocked his head a little while looking at the laughing human with the corner of his eye socket.

Edge huffed loudly, but grit his teeth not to blow up at them for those lousy puns. He ultimately sat at the table too, across from you.

“ **Are ya _scoffing_ at my food puns, bro? ** ”, his brother had a shit-eating grin on his face right now.

“aw, edge. don’t be so _salty_.”, the second skeleton chimed in immediately.

“ **WOULD YOU TWO STUPID _MARSHMALLOWS_ FINALLY STOP THAT** **!?** ”, Edge yelled at both of them, unable to control himself when those stupid jokes were directed at him.

The kitchen went silent for whole three seconds and then everybody except for the big and angry skeleton burst into loud laughter. The Sans that was sitting next to you had to grab you by your elbow or else you would slide down from the slippery wooden chair to the floor. The other small skeleton leaned on the open fridge door to keep his balance. This was the moment Papyrus finally came to the kitchen and looked around the room with a quirked bone brow.

“WHAT IS GOING ON ALREADY?”, the tall skeleton asked with a patient smile, though something in his eye lights told Edge he already knew what the smaller skeletons were up to.

“bro, you came just in _thyme_.”, Sans let go of your arm as you were finally able to sit by yourself and motioned at Papyrus to sit next to him.

“ _REALLY_ , SANS?”, the tall skeleton shook his head and joined you and his brother at the table. “I APOLOGIZE FOR MY BROTHERS, THEY USUALLY BEHAVE MORE CIVILIZED.”, he leaned towards you over the other skeleton’s head.

“Oh… oh, it’s fine. I have never heard so many puns at once.”, your voice was still filled with mirth. “Those are _brilliant_.”

“ _PLEASE_ , DON’T ENCOURAGE THEM! THOSE PUNS MAY BE FUNNY FOR SOMEBODY WHO HEARD THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT I WOULD TAKE THEM WITH A _GRAIN OF SALT_ IF I WERE YOU.”, despite his chiding tone, you quickly caught up to his pun and snorted with laughter again.

“ah, good one, bro. i’m so proud.”, the skeleton between you and Papyrus chuckled too.

“ **Alright. Enough _loafin’_ around. ** ”, the other small skeleton finally was ready to serve the dinner and placed a casserole dish on the table.

It took some time for Sans to finally choose a recipe that would be a little more complicated (and serious) than boiled eggs or overcooked rice, but with Papyrus’ help, he settled for some weird variant of mac and cheese. He picked the ingredients himself a few days ago, going shopping alone and with a groceries list on him - that last thing was a first for the small skeleton. This afternoon nobody was allowed to enter the kitchen unless something was on fire, as Sans really wanted to focus on given task. The rest of the skeletons allowed him to deal with a new challenge all by himself, but there was always at least one of them at home to quickly react if the cooking enterprise got out of hand. Fortunately, it didn’t and the lower floor was already filled with a scent of the cheese sauce.

The small skeleton uncovered the dish and set the oven gloves aside.

“ **So… uh…** “, he gestured awkwardly at the contents of the casserole dish. “ **I know it’s a _cheesy_ apology… but… ** ”, his skull began to turn slowly red and sweat drops appeared on it. “ **I didn’t mean to scare ya, sugar. So… sorry?** ”

Both Edge and Papyrus were smiling proudly at him for making all that effort - and ignored the pun. They knew that the small skeleton took it seriously, even when he tried to joke about it for half of the time. Now it all depended on how you will take this kind of apology.

Edge turned his head slightly to look at you and immediately recognized that smile of yours. It wasn’t as wide and giddy as when you were laughing at the puns or joking around. It was gentle, reassuring and patient. If Sans didn’t know he was forgiven, he was going to learn about that in a while.

“Well, _Annie_ … I think we’re _ok_.”, you answered and nodded at the nervous skeleton.

Sans released the air he was holding and this quickly turned into a low chuckle. “ **It’s growin’ on me already, ya know?** ”, he chortled and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. “ **So… dig in?** ”

When all of the skeletons finally sat around the table, Papyrus, being the tallest one and the closest to the casserole dish, helped with putting the food on the plates. Everybody waited patiently for him to finish before turning their gazes at the only human and the only guest this evening. With a smile, you took some of the mac and cheese on the fork and stuck it in your mouth.

After a short moment of chewing your face suddenly changed color and the fork fell from your hand on the plate with a loud clatter. Edge had never seen a human turn green before, but he wasn’t dense and knew that this didn’t mean anything good. You were already holding your hand against your mouth and Papyrus was the first to react.

“BATHROOM! THIS WAY!”, he grabbed your free wrist and quickly led you out of the kitchen, not minding the overturned chairs he left in his wake.

An uncomfortable silence fell in the kitchen and the only thing that could be heard was a big fish-shaped clock hanging on the wall. Tick tock.

“ **Uh… that… went… well…?** ”, Sans muttered under his breath while looking at the casserole dish with a heartbroken expression. It seems that his good spirits left him immediately when he realized that his cooking masterpiece betrayed him in the worst way possible.

“aaaand i’m _not_ touching this.”, the skeleton that was sitting between you and Papyrus nudged the plate away from him.

Edge covered his face with both his bony palms. “ **Sans…** ”, he groaned loudly. The tall skeleton should have guessed that the whole evening was going all too well and something would go down at the end. He felt how worry grew in his soul, but didn’t go to check on you - you were with Papyrus and if that skeleton couldn’t help a human with a distressed stomach, nobody could.

“ **I _tried_!** ”, Sans raised his voice. “ **I _really_ did! Honest, bro! I… I dunno what went wrong. ** ”, his tone changed to a disgruntled one as he was poking the food with his fork. “ **It _looks_ good. ** ”, he added but didn’t dare to taste it either.

“yep, it does. but food’s supposed to taste good first.”, the other small skeleton contributed with a frown.

They heard Papyrus in the living room, asking you questions about how were you feeling. All the skeletons in the kitchen immediately stopped talking to hear your answer, but your voice was too quiet for them. After a short while, you stepped into the kitchen with a tall skeleton keeping his hands on your shoulders. You looked much better, but Edge was certain you were still a little pale.

“Uh… sorry, guys. It’s just… maybe humans are not made for your kind of food?”, you smiled and brushed your hair out of your forehead. “I’ve only tasted monster candy, but that’s it.”, you said and Edge felt grateful that you were trying to soften the blow for his brother.

Papyrus, however, wasn’t that understanding this time. When it came to somebody’s health, there was no place for jokes and half-truths for that particular skeleton.

“ _NONSENSE_. I HAVE FED PLENTY OF HUMANS, NONE OF THEM REACTED… THAT WAY.”, he said mercilessly and gave you a soft pat on your shoulder before releasing you.

“ **It’s probably because of my brother’s _lousy cooking_ . ** ”, Edge grumbled half-heartedly and knocked on his brother skull with his knuckles.

“ **Ow…** ”, Sans hunched a little and covered his head with his arms. “ _ **I tried** **!**_ ”, he repeated for the third time.

“maybe he wanted to poison the human…”, the other small skeleton mused in a matter-of-fact tone.

“ **SANS!** ”, “SANS!”, “ **DUDE!** ”, the rest of the skeleton household shouted at him in unison, everybody because of their own reasons.

“just _kiddin’_.”, he said in a placating tone while raising his hands in surrender. “it reminds me of a german sausage..”, he began with a smirk.

“ **_Don’t…_ ** ”, Edge pointed his index finger at him threateningly.

“It’s the _wurst_?”, you suddenly chimed in, taking everybody by surprise, including the skeleton that wanted to use that pun.

“ _OH MY GOD!_ ”, Papyrus bellowed with a mock fear in his voice. “YOU REALLY DID POISON THE HUMAN!!!”

Another fit of laughter filled the kitchen and this time Edge joined everybody. The disastrous mac and cheese was temporarily forgotten and somehow nobody was sitting at the table anymore - almost as if everybody was worried that the poisonous dish was too dangerous in close proximity.

You slowly regained your healthy colors and the tall and menacing skeleton finally relaxed. It would be a really difficult thing to fix if you got sick because of your first dinner in the skeleton’s house. Somehow, despite the smaller skeletons trying to gain your full attention like a pair of annoying puppies, he liked the way you fit in here. It would be a shame if you got scared away and wouldn’t want to come by again, really.

The lazy skeleton suggestively pat his stomach region where the skeletons obviously had nothing but air. “it seems like we eat at grillby’s today.”, he said, but he clearly didn’t sound that heartbroken over it.

“UGH. YOU KNOW MY OPINION ABOUT THAT GREASE FILLED PLACE. BESIDES, WE STILL HAVE A GUEST TO ENTERTAIN!”, Papyrus prepped his hands on his hips and glared at his brother and Sans just shrugged.

“Grillby’s?”, you cocked your head to the side. “You mean that bar run by a fire monster near the park?”, you asked, curiosity clear in your voice.

Edge’s brother jumped on that immediately. “ **Yeah. We’re like regulars there with Sans. Ya wanna join?** ”

You looked at the other skeletons first, but your gaze went quickly back towards the one in the red sweater. “I’ve never been in a monster bar before. I’m down!”

“ **Are you sure, human..?** ”, Edge frowned a little. “ **You were promised an apology dinner, not this…** ”, he didn’t finish, because sure as hell everybody had their own ways to describe what that dish was. A _failure_ was the nicest one the tall skeleton could come up with.

It was getting pretty late and it will be even later until something edible would be prepared, but replacing a self-made dinner with a visit in a lousy bar wasn’t something Edge considered a fair trade.

You shrugged. “Well… it still counts as long as Annie is buying… right?”

“oh, he _is_.”, the other Sans quickly assured and nudged his counterpart with his elbow.

The other small skeleton looked at him with a pout and then mumbled. “ **Fffffiiiiiiiiine...** ”

“IT IS UP TO YOU, HUMAN. I WILL ONLY SUGGEST YOU ORDER A SALAD OR A MILKSHAKE THERE, NOT THOSE GREASY BURGERS AND FRIES DRENCHED IN OIL.”, Papyrus nodded with a serious expression on his face.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Papyrus.”, you grinned at him.

“kay, so let’s get going.”, the other Sans motioned with his skull towards the hallway and walked there first to get his hoodie and change his slippers for sneakers with velcro fasteners.

You followed suit, but your shoes had laces, so the whole process was a little longer. Papyrus was right next to you, chiding his lazy brother for being unable to properly use his shoes, though everybody clearly saw that the smaller skeleton was just pulling everyone's leg with that.

Sans, the one able to cook a mac and cheese biological weapons, was about to pick up the closest plates in an attempt to neutralize the horrid monster he had created but Edge stopped him. The tall skeleton slapped his brother’s hand away from the table and shook his head.

“ **I’ll take care of this, brother. You still have some proper apologizing to do.** ”, he said in a low voice and began putting the food back into the casserole dish.

“ **Uh… ya don’t wanna go with us, bro?** ”, the smaller skeleton looked at him with a deep frown on his face.  

“ **Correct. I agree with Papyrus when it comes to that bar. And…** ”, he paused what he was doing for a moment to look at his brother. “ **The whole situation was also partially my fault. Consider this as me doing my part to fix this.** ”

Edge _wanted_ to go with you, to see how you react to the fiery bartender and a whole bar filled with monsters and magic food but… It was a bad idea. He knew he would be the third wheel there, with both Sanses joking around you and hogging your attention - there was only so much you could share between two skeletons, a third one would be too much. Besides, most monsters who frequented that bar knew who he was and none of them liked him. He wanted you to have a full experience with this item from your List of Buckets, not tainted with sour mood or your worry about him. And you _would_ be worried. He was sure of it.

“ **If ya sure…** ”, Sans’ voice still sounded like he wasn’t buying this explanation.

Edge gathered the plates swiftly. “ **I am. Go, before that other bonehead uses all the best fire puns.** ”, he smirked at his brother.

The smaller skeleton grinned widely at him and hurried to the hallway to grab his grey hoodie. Edge dumped all the plates into the sink and left the kitchen to see you all to the door. You were ready to go but decided to wait for the second skeleton, who despite his nervousness seemed to grow quickly fond of you.

“ **_Behave!_ ** ”, Edge called from the living room when all three of you were already leaving. There was something in a way that lazy bag of bones was touching the small of your back while leading you outside that annoyed him, but the tall skeleton decided to brush it off for now.

“ **Come on, bro! Ya know me!** ”, the last skeleton was still halfway through putting his hoodie on but already decided to rush outside, not to be left behind by his counterpart.

“ **I wasn’t talking to you.** ”, the tall skeleton leaned on the wall next to smiling Papyrus.

He didn’t see you, but he heard you loud and clear. “No promises!”, you shouted happily back and then giggled.

The door shut behind the bar expedition and Edge still had a chance to hear your laughter through them.

“YOUR FRIEND IS REALLY NICE, BROTHER.”, Papyrus mused while straightening the jackets that were hanging in the hallway.

“ **Yes.** ”, he nodded and finally tore his gaze away from the door. “ **I just hope _____ won’t be too much for them.** ”, Edge said with a smirk and went back to the kitchen to start dealing with the abomination left on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, my beautiful Readers, I gotta ask... what is your idea of a perfect date? Where would you like to be taken by a dashing skeleton? What would you love to see he arranged only to impress you? What should the greatest datemate do for you?
> 
> ___________________________________________  
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i)[ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405137656/littleblue5mcdork-pushes-more-art-across-the)[ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405059866/littleblue5mcdork-slowly-pushes-art-across-the)[ 4](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314667921/littleblue5mcdork-tada-finally-got-a-decent)[ 5](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314371436/littleblue5mcdork-okay-okay-so-far-so-good)[ 6](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314313271/littleblue5mcdork-and-omg-i-what-happened) by littleblue5mcdork  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah  
> [ by doodleinks](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167369414921/doodleinks-doodleinks-blblbl-thunderstruck)
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	19. Black as Thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge learns what you did at Grillby’s and overhears a conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaah. There are so many kudos and comments, and hits and subscriptions! Thank you, my beautiful Readers. And also a big thanks to my followers on Tumblr for taking part in a spontaneous session of "Sex ed for Edge"! I had so much fun with you guys you have no idea. 
> 
> Edge and Red are always open for asks, anonymous or not, so feel free to poke them.
> 
> And now... shit is going down and the whole chapter was kinda exhausting for me to write, but it turned out well! Have fun reading and let me know in comments what you think about this one!

**The Human:** Your brothers walked me home.

**The Human:** Thanks a bunch for inviting me, I had a great time!

**The Human:** Goodnight, Edge-a-sketch.

**Edge Lord:** Goodnight.

With a heavy sigh, Edge stuffed his phone into his pocket and stood up. He had been sitting on the couch in the living room and waiting for you to come back as soon as he finished cleaning the kitchen. It seemed like the small skeletons had a better idea, and he couldn’t blame them for that - Grillby’s was closer to your apartment building than to the skeletons' house, so taking you home on foot was a good call. Still… he had hoped he could give you a ride again.

He walked quickly upstairs and to his room. It was late already, so he needed to go to sleep if he wanted to be well rested for tomorrow's job. Another human finished renovating their apartment and hired him to do the cleaning. This time it was a pretty big loft, which meant a lot more work was required. Maybe after this one, he would be able to afford something for Papyrus… and maybe even for his brother too. He still didn’t know what would suit somebody who has everything already, but he was positive the cheerful skeleton would be happy with any present.

As he was getting ready to sleep, he heard that the small skeletons came back. It took them a while to do that, so Edge figured they didn’t shortcut back because at least one of them had been drinking in the bar - he just hoped it wasn’t his brother. He heard them talk for a while in the living room, but the tall skeleton wasn’t able to hear the words properly. Not that he really wanted to eavesdrop on them, though he was awfully curious about their opinion on you and your weird behavior. Maybe he could ask them in the morning...

Edge listened as both skeletons finally went to their respective rooms and closed their doors. The house went silent again, but in a few hours Papyrus was about to get up and start his day - he was always the first to wake up, somehow needing very little sleep to keep going. It was strange how easily Edge got used to living with three other monsters (and a dirty mutt), but he found out that having somebody home almost every time he got back was weirdly… comforting.

Despite that, he had trouble to fall asleep that night. Something made him anxious, he felt it clearly in his soul, but he had no idea what could it be. Your visit went quite well - if one disregarded the cooking failure his brother delivered - and you didn’t seem to be put off by the whole house of skeletons. Edge was also sure that you would tell him if something bad had happened in the bar, so… _what was it_?

He turned to his side and his eye lights noticed a black shape of his violin case. Could it be? It would be nice to spend more time with you, and perhaps Toby, but he couldn’t care less about The Miserable Lot. It was just a bunch of stupid humans doing their stupid stuff, nothing more. Joining your band wasn’t something that important in his life at all. And yet...

He quickly chased away those thoughts, not entirely willing to go there. It didn’t matter. It _shouldn’t_ matter. With an angry scoff, he turned towards the wall and closed his eye sockets, ready to somehow force himself to sleep if need be.

He tossed and turned for an hour before sleep finally claimed him.

 

* * *

 

Edge shuffled to the kitchen in the morning only to find that his brother was already there. He greeted the small skeleton with a sleepy grunt and poured himself coffee - Papyrus always prepared a full jug for them, even though the cheerful skeleton never drank it.

“ **Ya don’t look so hot, bro.** ”, the small skeleton rested his chin on his palm while chewing on the edge of a burnt toast for breakfast.

“ **I’m fine.** ”, Edge grumbled in response and sat across him with his mug. With a frown, the tall skeleton watched his reflection in the black liquid. After a sip of his beverage, he eyed his brother and spoke up. “ **You had fun, I assume?** ”

“ **You have _no idea_.** ”, Sans perked up and grinned widely at him. “ **Your human’s somethin’ else, really.** ”

Edge noticed that his brother was still calling you ‘ _his human_ ’. At first, he thought it was just to mock him for the way he unintentionally called you, but after a few times, he figured that Sans actually meant it. It was weird to think of you that way.

“are we talking about _____?”, a husky voice chimed in as the other small skeleton walked into the kitchen. He yawned loudly, not bothering himself with covering his mouth with his hand.

“ **Yep.** ”, Edge’s brother confirmed and pushed a plate with burnt toasts towards his counterpart.

He smiled widely while looking at the smaller skeleton and grabbed one slice. This lazybones preferred to sit on the countertop during breakfasts (when Papyrus wasn’t around, obviously) so he proceeded to jump onto his usual spot and pour himself a big mug of coffee. “it’s been quite an evening if ya ask me.”

Edge grunted in response, not willing to show that he was dying to know what happened. He didn’t have to say anything though because both of them decided to tell him all about it whether he liked that or not.

The two small skeletons had apparently a blast in the bar with you if their wide grins and eye lights shining with mirth were any indication. They both had tried to pull a prank on you, like they often did when one of them invited somebody new to Grillby’s, by drinking a condiment.

Yes. _Tried_.

Not only you hadn’t reacted the way they were expecting you to, but you even took a sip of mustard and ketchup straight from the skeletons’ bottles, just to give those disgusting habits a taste. It turned out you liked ketchup better, but that’s not where the story ended…

“ **... and then, I shit ya not, ______ takes that little jar of mayo, ya know. And with a straight face asks Grillbz for a spoon…** ”, the small skeleton waved his toast while saying his part.

“... and then _eats_ a spoonful _straight_ outta the jar.”, the other Sans interrupted Edge’s brother, clearly eager to tell what happened too. “i almost didn’t believe my eye sockets, and i was _there_.”

“ **And then… and then… the human is like, ‘ _that’s some good mayo ya got there Grillbz_ ’.**”, the skeleton with the golden tooth chimed in instantly.

The lazybones sitting on the counter didn’t give him a chance to continue. “half of the bar was picking their jaws from the floor, ya know?”

“ **And _I_ was pickin’ _Sans_ from the floor. ** ”, Edge’s brother chuckled.

The other Sans shrugged lazily. “what can i say? it’s been long since i’ve had a good laugh.”

“ **I see.** ”, Edge muttered while glaring at his coffee.

He didn’t touch it after the first sip, as his mind had filled with not so happy thoughts. There was something heavy in his soul as he listened to his brother and his counterpart. He had honestly hoped that you were going to have fun with them when he went along with this idea. You had, obviously. And yet he felt disgusted with himself for not being glad that you did.

He didn’t feel this entertaining to be around… the other skeletons were the funny ones, the more social ones. Even with his brother’s anxiety, Sans went out more than him and at least tried to find some friends. It was a given that those two will give you the time of your life with their shenanigans and pranks. Something he wouldn’t be ever able to do. Not with something like this.

“______ even managed to fluster grillbz. i dunno what the human said, but it was the _first time_ i saw him turn blue.”, the other Sans didn’t notice his grim mood or just decided to ignore it. “your human friend’s something different, edge.”

The taller skeleton reacted to his name and glanced at him. “ **Yes. That’s true.** ”, he responded after a short while and finally took a few larger gulps of his coffee. It was cold already.

“ **Yeah. _Where_ the fuck did ya find that human anyway?** ”, his brother crossed his arms on the table and lowered his head to make himself comfortable in this position.

Edge looked at the other skeletons, who were now attentively looking at him and waiting. “ **I… you wouldn’t believe me.** ”, he huffed, not really in the mood to share anything more about you.

The skeleton on the counter was the first one to scoff. “after what we saw yesterday? nah, dude. give us _some_ credit.”

He rolled his eye lights, both at Sans’ words and his own irritation. It was stupid to feel this way, he was perfectly aware of that. His brother had fun, you had fun, even that stupid bag of bones seemed to like and accept you. Everything was going well for everybody, so there was no point in being grouchy about this.

“ **I didn’t.** ”, he finally spoke. “ **It was _______ who found _me_.** ”

His words were met with puzzled stares.

“ **Ya mean… approached ya? Just like that?** ”, Edge’s brother cocked his head to the side, pressing his cheekbone to his hoodie’s sleeve.

The other skeleton blinked a few times. “ _really_? ya didn’t threaten the human or did your usual… _you_?”, he gestured at the tall skeleton with a quirked brow bone and ignoring a warning glare that Sans cast him shortly after that.

“ **Really.** ”, the tall skeleton confirmed and smirked a little.

There was something satisfying about seeing them react like that and their incredulous expressions reminded Edge of something. You were _his_ friend, not theirs. He knew you better, longer. He had a history with you, filled with your odd ideas, weird behavior, and some shared secrets. And your _stupid_ List of Buckets. This realization made that burning heavy feeling in his soul subside just a little.

“ **And right after that, _______ took me home.** ”, Edge decided to add, only to watch how shocked the other skeletons got after hearing this part.

“is ______ _crazy_ or something?”, the lazybones asked immediately, and Edge’s brother shot him a really unpleasant look.

“ **Watch it, dude.** ”, the small skeleton sitting across from him growled lowly.

Edge didn’t react in any way, though he felt a little grateful that Sans was still overprotective of him when it came to his counterpart’s snarky remarks. “ **Or something. That describes-** ”, the tall skeleton got interrupted by a loud farting noise coming from his pocket.

He ignored the amused snickers and fished out his phone to check it. It was you, of course. Except for the other skeletons, nobody ever texted him - not that a lot of people had his number.

**The Human:** Edge of the Jungle, we gonna have a super duper important rehearsal today.

**The Human:** It would be cool if you managed to come. Don’t need your violin.

**The Human:** Not this time anyway.

Edge frowned a little while trying to figure out what could you possibly mean with that. He didn’t want to get his hopes high, but your message somehow made him thrilled. Your group took its time to discuss the audition, so maybe finally you had reached a decision? Maybe… he got in?

“ **I need to get ready for work.** ”, he said quickly and drank his coffee while texting you back about the details. Your messages woke him up the way even three mugs of caffeine beverage wouldn’t manage to.

“ **Was that ______?** ”, his brother tilted his head curiously. The other small skeleton was staring at him too.

“ **Yes.** ”, Edge hurried to wash his mug. “ **Probably today I’ll learn how my audition went.** ”, he explained, not really caring that his brother’s counterpart will hear that. He couldn't help it, he was getting excited.

“... audition?”, he heard the skeleton next to him ask in an incredulous tone.

“ ** _Yes._** ”, he repeated with an exasperated huff. “ **Audition. To the band where my human sings. _Move your lazy ass_.** ”, he urged him to shuffle away from the sink so he could put the mug on the dish rack.

“huh. didn’t know ______ sings…”, he heard a surprised mutter.

“ **There’s _a lot_ of things you don’t know about ______.** ”, Edge spat back and left the kitchen before the other skeleton managed to answer.

“ **Bye, bro!** ”, Sans called after him as the tall skeleton hurried to put on his shoes and grab his leather jacket.

 

* * *

 

Edge managed to finish what he planned to do in the renovated apartment in record time this day. It’s not like he did it hastily or sloppily, no. He would never neglect his work like that. He was fast because for the first time in many months he had actually something to look forward to. So far, his job was only to fill his wallet and schedule, and there was rarely need for him to hurry with his services. He didn’t have much to do at home or after his work was done except for sometimes spending time with you, so unless the one that hired him wanted things done fast, he took his time. It calmed him down too and as far as Edge was concerned, it was a win-win deal for everybody.

It was different today. The work didn’t help him relax this time. Every minute, every hour was filled with quick cleaning, mopping, swiping and taking out the trash.. and thinking. It was impossible for him to stop thinking about you, about Toby, about Cindy, even about Damien. It was stupid and pathetic, but after the fifth time he caught himself zoning out, he stopped chiding himself for that. There was nothing wrong with just thinking. Especially if he really got in…

He was grateful to you for encouraging him to even try and making sure the whole ordeal was fair. You seemed to understand that it was important to him to earn it, really earn it, like everybody else. Of course, he knew that nothing was set in stone just yet but… he allowed that tiny spark of hope in his soul to shine a little brighter for now.

Edge arrived early at the apartment building your Miserable Lot chose for rehearsals - or as he was told, Damien bought a few apartment’s rooms in the old building all by himself to use it for that particular purpose. The tall skeleton decided to wait for you and other humans upstairs, even though there was at least half an hour till the time the rehearsal was supposed to start.

When he was almost on the floor where your band used to gather, he heard familiar voices echo in the hallway and the stairwell.

“... failed to notice what was happening to Cindy, _______! I’m not going to make the same mistake _twice_!”, Damien’s voice was loud and heated, but Edge failed to hear any aggression in it. For now.

“Are you _serious_?! I told you! There’s _nothing_ happe-”, your voice, however, was clearly angry and ready to kick some asses. The skeleton wasn’t sure he had ever heard you so furious.

Edge hurried upstairs only to see you and Damien standing closely in front of each other. Your face was red and you were scowling at the man that was towering over you. He was standing tall, but except for his chest out, his pose didn’t look threatening. Both humans hadn’t noticed the skeleton yet.

“ _No_ , ______!”, Damien interrupted you loudly. ”I don’t _want_ him with us, okay? I know we had a deal, but that doesn’t matter now! Toby somehow got bullied into agreeing too and I don’t know what happened. I can’t protect him if all I get is ‘ _I can’t tell you_ ’! What am I supposed to think when I hear something like that?!”

The tall skeleton frowned as soon as the whole situation dawned on him. You and Toby (and probably Cindy too) wanted him in the band but Damien didn’t. He couldn’t really blame the bassist for feeling that way, especially when Edge _really_  did threaten the small drummer that he would kill him for telling anybody about their small arrangement. He would _never_ hurt him, of course, but… only Edge knew that. Toby was probably scared shitless because of his words and now this particular sentence came back to bite him in the coccyx.

“Damien, _listen to yourself_!”, you spat immediately. “Toby’s an _adult_! He’s allowed to have secrets, just like anybody else. He agreed on his _own_ , you saw that yourself. You can’t just back away on your word because _something_ seems fishy to you.”

“I can and I will if I need to. I want to protect you guys from dangers and _Edge. Is. Dangerous_.”, he emphasized the last three words and pointed his index finger at your chest.

“He’s _not_ dangerous, just rough around the edges! Have you _seen_ him at all? Have you _really_ looked at him? _You_ of all people should get him, for Christ’s sake! But you don’t even want to give him a chance!”, you answered loudly and the conviction in your voice stirred something in the skeleton’s soul, though he was more focused on what was said at the moment.

“ _Oh my god_!”, the tall human raised his voice again and grabbed his head. “I know what you mean, but that’s more the reason to stay away from him! You’re _crazy_ , _____, and everybody knows that! You jump at any weird thing like there is no tomorrow. I get it! He is your _friend_ , so you want him to be here, but… I’m just trying to look out for you, guys! Toby has been through a lot already and Cindy… Cindy needs more time to get over Bart. In a more healthy way.”, Damien said those last words in a really heavy tone, his voice lowered.

“So you think you know what everybody here needs!?”, for a moment there Edge thought you were going to push the big human away from you, but you just helplessly flailed your hands at him in a pissed off gesture. “Damien, _what the fuck_!? You’re not our parent or whatever, you don’t get to _decide_ what we should do with our lives! You said that there needs to be a majority of the votes for him and there _is_! Even without me! We _all_ want him here!”

“But I don’t!”, the man made a gesture as if he wanted to grab you, but he stopped right before that - he was lucky he did because the skeleton was about to step in. “I just can’t let you…”, Damien let out a deep and tired sigh before rubbing his face with his hands. His voice got quiet after that. “You don’t see it objectively, alright? I don’t want to see you hurt again because of him. I know he’s your friend, but friends shouldn’t-”

What did that obsessed human mean with that? Edge didn’t hurt you, so was there somebody else or was Damien just spewing nonsense? This unfounded accusation made him furious, but the skeleton still kept a firm control over his emotions. He decided he had heard enough and stepped inside the room.

“ **Well, isn’t that nice...** ”, he growled lowly while walking towards the humans.

Damien got clearly startled by a sudden voice coming from his right side but collected himself in a heartbeat. His hands clenched into fists though and his dark stare got suddenly ice cold. “ _You_ …”

“ **Don’t let me stop you from saying what you wanted, _human_.** **By all means… continue.** ”, Edge stopped right in front of Damien, towering over him and glaring threateningly.

The human male shifted as if he wanted to take a step back, but ultimately stood his ground and held the skeleton’s gaze. “I won’t allow you in the band, Edge. _Period_ . You’re a _danger_ to my friends and I don’t want you spending any more time with them.”

“Do you fucking _hear_ yourself, Damien? _What_ gives you the idea that you can decide for us?”, you snapped at the man but got ignored by both males, who were now staring at each other intently and cautiously. Almost as if waiting for the other one to strike first.

The skeleton heard quiet shuffling in the corridor he recognized it as Toby’s cautious footsteps. It seemed Edge wasn’t the only one who happened to come earlier, but now the situation was getting more and more complicated. The other humans didn’t seem to notice there was one more person with them. It didn’t matter to the skeleton. He was pissed.

“ **Oh really? So you’re going to _ban_ me from meeting them at all? Because I’m a monster or because you just _don’t like me_?** ”, he sneered while lowering his head a little so the impudent human could take a damn good look on Edge’s fangs. “ **What about being fair? I thought there was a room only for _one_ asshole. ** ”

The man was sweating, yet still managed to stand still and not give in the threatening aura the skeleton was emanating at the moment. “Just… listen, man… I don’t have _anything_ against monsters, really… It’s just _you_.”, Damien swallowed loudly, still looking him straight into his eye lights. “I can’t make you stop meeting them outside of the band activities, so this is all I am able to do... _for now_.”

“ **You’re right about one thing, human.** ”, Edge growled and caught the man by the collar of his shirt to pull him closer. “ **_You can’t make me do anything._ ** ”

The human gasped and grabbed Edge’s wrist, but still didn’t try anything. “Alright… alright…”, he breathed, this time with a lot more aggression in his strained voice. “Go ahead. Hit me or whatever… Do what you want. But I won’t stand idle when you hurt my friends, got it? I will fucking tear you apart if you touch any of them again. Jail or not.”

Damien’s words struck a bad chord in Edge’s soul. He would _never_ think about hurting you… or that little human drummer. Or even Cindy. She was annoying with her high pitched voice and being all touchy, but _that’s_ _it_. Usually, one short comment made her back away for a longer time. He didn’t see any possible scenario that would force him to cause harm to any of your friends, Damien included. At least… not now. Maybe before, but…

The skeleton clenched his fist and yanked Damien’s shirt higher so the tall man needed to stand on the tips of his feet to keep steady. He heard Toby gasp with terror behind his back.

Edge hesitated. There _was_ a time he wanted to snap your neck or throw you across the room. It was way before he got to know you better, when he was still keeping away from any social interactions with your kind, when he was angrier and more guarded. He didn’t want to do that now, but that didn’t change the fact that he still _was_ violent and aggressive. And if he had violent thoughts over a month ago, what makes him so sure he wouldn’t change his mind in the future? What if _circumstances_ changed? What if you _really_ managed to make him angry, just like Damien now?

He didn’t want to hit him. He was just utterly and extremely pissed. Betrayed. Disappointed. His hope was crushed and ultimately, he was the only one to blame. Nobody else. He and his aggression, his old habits, his… Just all of him.

“Edge…”, you said softly. You didn’t dare to come closer to them, keeping a reasonable distance between yourself and the two angry males.

“ **You’re delusional…** ”, the skeleton pretended he didn’t hear you, though he lowered the hand that was holding Damien’s shirt. “ **I’m not hurting anybody. You just want to control them like children, you maggot.** ”

There was no spite in Damien’s gaze, no matter how long Edge was looking for it. He was scared right now, that’s true, but still determined to face the menacing skeleton.

“I want to _protect_ them!”, the human answered immediately and took a few deep breaths before continuing in a much more collected voice. “Tell me those bruises on ______ arms _aren’t_ your doing and I will back off. I will fucking _apologize_ to you here and now. On my knees even.”

Edge’s soul sank and he used up all of his composure to keep his expression unaffected by Damien’s words. He allowed his eye lights to leave the human’s gaze and glanced at you for a second. You were frowning and your lips were pursed into a tight line.

The skeleton didn’t wait for you to answer his silent question and looked away before releasing the human in front of him. “ **Fine. I don’t want to be in your stupid band anyway.** ”, he said coldly while taking a step back.

He did hurt you. _That’s_ what this was all about. His bony hands left bruises on your flesh again because he couldn’t control himself, because he couldn’t control his strength and his emotions. He could justify this by saying he was scared to death, but that didn’t change the outcome in any way. If he squeezed a little tighter, would your bones break? Would his embrace crush your ribs? Did he bruise you somewhere else too? You had never complained about that but…

You _should have_.

“Damien, listen… it’s not like that. It happened on a-”, you tried to explain, but the skeleton had enough of this situation.

“ **STOP IT.** ”, Edge snapped at you immediately and even Damien jumped a little because of it.

“Wh- But Edge, he’s being a _jackass_!”, you walked up to him, as always not bothered by his threatening voice. He felt your warm hand touch his arm. “And we could just-”

“ **Will you still spend time with me?** ”, he asked suddenly while glaring at you.

Your eyes widened. “ _O-of course_ _I will_! What kind of question is that?!”

He moved away from you and yanked his arm out of your grasp. “ **Then it’s fine by me.** ”, he muttered and turned towards the door. He needed to leave, right now. Before his emotions would make him lose his control again. It was the last thing he wanted right now - to prove Damien he really was a menace to everybody.

As the skeleton was closing in to the hallway, the small human that was cowering behind the doorframe looked at him. “Wh-what’s going on…?”, he asked, clearly pretending he didn’t hear the half of what the others were yelling.

“ **Nothing.** ”, Edge spat. “ **I’m not good enough to be in your pathetic band.** ”

“Oh… I-I… but… E-Edge, you…”, Toby took a cautious step towards the skeleton who was about to walk past him.

“ **It’s fine, drum boy.** ”, the skeleton huffed loudly, trying not to take his anger out on him. It wasn’t easy, but he managed.

Edge heard footsteps as Toby shuffled after him. “I… thought… b-but… what a-about…”, the boy clearly tried to ask him about something without naming that particular arrangement. The skeleton wished he just said it, ignored his stupid threat and just told everybody. But after that initial attempt, Toby went silent.

“ **I don’t need to be in your stupid band for that, do I?!** ”, he turned sharply around only to notice that the small human was standing right beside him, shoulders hunched in a defensive way. He was scared of the skeleton. Of course.

“No…”, Edge heard him mutter.

He was about to turn around again and leave, but he remembered something. “ **Give me your phone.** ”, he demanded while extending his bony hand towards the drummer.

Toby cowered a little in reaction to his sudden movements but complied quickly and without further hesitation. The skeleton took the tiny tattered device into his hands and tapped in his number. Usually, he would agree with Toby about the details of their next lesson during one or after the rehearsal, but now… Edge needed other ways to contact the small human. Or at least he needed to give him a choice whether he still wanted to contact the monster.

“ _What_ are you doing?”, Damien was in the hallway with them already, keeping an eye on his fragile friend. There was still anger in his voice, but Edge also heard a hint of relief. The big bad monster was defeated this time.

The skeleton didn’t even bother to look at the man. “ **Giving him my phone number. And what does it look like to you?** ”, he handed the device to Toby. “ **Maybe like a mugging?** ”

“Thanks…”, the small human spoke softly and tried to smile at Edge. He didn’t respond to that in any way.

Damien let out a deep sigh. “Toby…”, he grunted in a frustrated tone.

The human in front of Edge lowered his head guiltily and squeezed the phone in his hands so hard his knuckles turned white. The skeleton had the urge to pat the small drummer on the shoulder but quickly rejected that idea. Instead, he turned around and looked straight at Damien.

“ **_And fuck you_ **.”, Edge growled, insistent to have his last word in the whole fucked up situation.

 

* * *

 

Another lousy brick got kicked out of his way and smashed into the wall with a loud thud. Edge was on his way home for about an hour already, but his soul was still thrumming with too many emotions. He wanted to calm down, but he couldn’t, so he was still walking around the empty alleys in the more run-down part of Ebott, still furious with Damien, with you, with himself, with all the fucking world.

He knew he shouldn’t have allowed himself to hope for something more. How stupid he was for even beginning to think he could belong somewhere else than by his brother’s side. There was no place for him on the Surface. He was not only a monster that tried to mingle with humans, but he was the _real_ kind of monster. The dangerous one, the one that haunted other people’s nightmares. There was you, of course, but not everybody was as crazy and patient… and now Edge was beginning to think you were too crazy for your own good.

The skeleton still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he hurt you and you didn’t tell him. Perhaps you were scared of him after all, but Edge just couldn’t notice that in your expression? You should have told him. _You should have!_ He didn’t mean to do that, so maybe if you told him about it he would control his grip better. How was he supposed to know he was hurting you if you didn’t tell him!? He knew he could bruise you after the first time, so he tried to be more gentle the second time he spent the thunderstorm with you, but ultimately it turned out it still wasn’t enough. Everything he did was _never_ enough.

Like now.

He kicked an empty box that was lying in his way, but the cardboard gave in too easily and the sensation wasn’t as satisfying as he hoped it to be. He needed to kick something heavier, even if that meant sore feet the next day. He could always punch a wall or something, but his scraped knuckles would only worry Sans. He had too much on his plate, he didn’t want to add his brother’s concerned stare to the pile of shit he needed to deal with.

He was _always_ not enough, even though he stubbornly tried to show it was the opposite. His own brother didn’t believe in him for a long time until he was able to kick his ass. Undyne didn’t believe in him until he was able to take her eye and her position. He couldn’t do that here, he couldn’t rely on his brute strength or on his fighting skills. He wasn’t as strong as he thought he was anyway - not with Papyrus around. And that realization hurt the most. He could understand his brother and his friend for trying to protect him by making him aim lower, but here? The other version of him was so much more than Edge had ever hoped he could be. It wasn’t the world he grew up in, it was _him_. He wasn’t enough.

This time he wasn’t good enough to be a part of something bigger. He was a danger. A menace. He was dangerous even right now, kicking another piece of trash across the street and watching it chip off a fragment of plaster on the wall in front of him. He was even thinking about smashing somebody’s head with his fists and feeling the dust between his phalanges...

The worse thing about this whole fucking situation was that he understood Damien and that fucking prick of a human was _right_. Edge wouldn’t be so polite and calm if he was about to face somebody who dared to hurt his brother _or_ you. He didn’t blame the bassist for quickly jumping to conclusions and choosing to believe it was Edge’s abuse, not some stupid accident that caused your pain. It was safer to assume something like that than to find out you were beaten or killed later. Just like with Cindy, right?

It was commendable that Damien was trying to take care of your miserable lot, whether you all liked that or not. He was ready to be the bad guy for the sake of your safety and face the fact that all of his friends would be angry with him for this. The human wasn’t trying to _please_ you, he was trying to _save_ you from a danger. And this time, the danger had Edge’s face. And the skeleton wasn’t sure what pissed him off more - the fact that the human was _right_ or the fact that it was _his own fault_ because his behavior, his lack of control and his stupid _stupid_ threats had amounted to this.

The skeleton kicked the closest trash can and bent the metal with his foot. It finally stung. Edge accepted the pain as some sort of penance and stopped in his tracks to take a few calming breaths. He finally noticed that his phone was signaling him with messages all the time, but he was too occupied with his thoughts and with assaulting his surroundings to take care of that earlier. It was you. All of the messages were from you. You were apologizing, though Edge got angrier with you for that. You tried to convince him to tell the truth about the bruises, but the skeleton knew it was too late already. After the way he acted towards the bassist, there was no way he would believe it. Finally, you were worried. He didn’t write back like he always used to and you were asking him if he was ok.

His fists clenched on their own and only by some miracle he didn’t crush his phone. He should be the one apologizing and asking you those questions… but at the same time, he didn’t want to. You didn’t tell him. It was _your fault_.

Another message. He was worrying you…

Edge was staring at the tiny screen and his angry scowl turned into a tired frown. Maybe you just didn’t want to worry him? Maybe… you just thought it wasn’t that important? You were doing so much crazy shit that some bruises weren’t something you even noticed? You had a lot of them after the paintball match, you didn’t really mind that then. It was a part of the game, right? So… maybe…

_No_.

He closed his eyes and tapped his forehead with his phone a few times, trying to collect his thoughts. The skeleton chided himself for thinking that you wouldn’t mind getting hurt because of him and his fear. That was a _fucked up_ thing to consider. He was so fucking confused right now, torn between being angry at everything, worrying he really might be too dangerous for you and hoping that his fight with Damien didn’t really change much in his life. Or yours.

He would hate to ruin your friendship with anybody. Other humans were _better_ friends for you in this world and he didn’t want to make you lose any of them because he couldn’t control himself again. You gave him too much already, Edge wasn’t comfortable with thinking you could waste something valuable on somebody like him.

**Edge Lord:** I’m fine. Just lost my temper there, nothing else.

**The Human:** Are you sure? I still can pour some water into Damien’s shoes.

**The Human:** Or hide his guitar.

**Edge Lord:** Don’t. Nothing’s changed, so don’t bother.

**The Human:** Alrighty, Randy Savedge.

**The Human:** I still wanna spend time with you, ok?

The skeleton was staring at the tiny screen so long it turned off to save battery. He was still confused and quite positive this wouldn’t just go away after one message from you, but… it helped. Just a little.

**Edge Lord:** Ok.

He pocketed his phone and, after kicking the trash can once again, he turned around to head home. His soul was still filled with anger, but it was beginning to feel familiar, not out of control. That wasn’t something he could help at the moment, so he didn’t even bother anymore.

When he reached the doorstep of the skeletons' house, he noticed that the kitchen’s light was on and that could mean only one thing - Papyrus was bustling about, probably cooking. It was his usual time to do that and the other two skeletons preferred to snoop around the kitchen in the darkness. After all, there was a tiny light in the fridge and that was enough for their needs.

Edge had hoped he could sneak to his room without alerting the cheerful skeleton, but his plan was quickly ruined. He didn’t even manage to reach the stairs and Papyrus was already peering into the living room.

“OH! YOU’RE BACK, BROTHER! SANS TOLD ME YOU WERE ON AUDITION EARLIER. HOW DID IT GO?”, he asked before he could take a good look at his counterpart’s face. The moment he noticed Edge scowl, his smile dropped a little.

“ **I didn’t get in.** ” The aggressive skeleton didn’t feel like talking about it at all, but he knew that it was better to tell _something_ than to let Papyrus come to his own conclusions.

“I SEE.”, the cheerful skeleton frowned for a moment. “YOU CAN’T BLAME THE HUMANS FOR FAILING TO RECOGNIZE A TRUE PASSION AND TALENT WHEN THEY SEE IT.”, he said with a wide smile back on his face. “THEY’RE STILL LEARNING TO LIVE WITH US, RIGHT?”

The whole thing sounded as if it was humans who were adjusting to living in the world filled with monsters, not the other way around. Edge scoffed at that.

“ **There’s no need to _patronize_ me, Papyrus. I know when I f-... When I didn’t do well.** ”, he huffed and started walking upstairs.

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP ME COOK TODAY?”, there it was again. The same patient tone, the same question, the same… hope. “I AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH RED’S RECIPE. ALTHOUGH I _DON’T_ PLAN ON POISONING ANYBODY.”

How was it possible to be so full of hope after so many times he declined? Edge stopped and hung his head low while letting out a deep sigh. His hand clamped on the railing for a moment and he felt his sharp phalanges dig into the wood. The whole house was silent at that moment, so he was sure even Papyrus heard the scraping sound.

After another sigh, he grit his teeth and turned his head to look at his new brother.

“ **... yes** **.** ”, he finally muttered, giving in to the hopeful expression on Papyrus’ face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you might know I'm planning a "Truth or Dare" part in one of the next chapters, so if any of you, my beautiful Readers has any crazy or lovely idea for that - let me know in an ask or in a comment!  
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i)[ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405137656/littleblue5mcdork-pushes-more-art-across-the)[ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405059866/littleblue5mcdork-slowly-pushes-art-across-the)[ 4](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314667921/littleblue5mcdork-tada-finally-got-a-decent)[ 5](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314371436/littleblue5mcdork-okay-okay-so-far-so-good)[ 6](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314313271/littleblue5mcdork-and-omg-i-what-happened) by littleblue5mcdork  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah  
> [ by doodleinks](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167369414921/doodleinks-doodleinks-blblbl-thunderstruck)
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	20. As the Wind Blows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge and 75% of The Miserable Lot play truth or dare. Later, the skeleton encounters a savage beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done! This chapter wasn't meant to be this long, but after a short consideration, I decided to keep it as a whole instead of making two separate chapters out of this.
> 
> It's 20th chapter already! So much have happened! So many feels and shenanigans are still ahead. Thank you, my beautiful Readers, for joining Edge's journey on the Surface and keeping him (and his brother) company on Tumblr. I have a lot of fun answering your asks. It helps me in worldbuilding a lot and inspires me to write more about certain aspects I didn't notice before.
> 
> A part of this chapter is dedicated to my sis because she's helping me with this fic and everything in my life. THANK YOU! HAVE AN ED!
> 
> Please, let me know what you think about this chapter in comments or on Tumblr!

It turned out that even joined forces of two extraordinaire cooks couldn’t figure out what really went wrong with Red’s mac and cheese, but that didn’t really matter. There was something calm and comfortable in the way both tall skeletons cooperated in the kitchen, almost as if they were reading each other's minds. In a way that could be true, as they were different instances of the same person - though Edge didn’t really believe that. The universe was way more complicated in his opinion than just this ‘alternate self’ crap. They were different, too different to be called that. Both skeletons were their own utterly separate beings and it was only due to the magic fuck-up they were able to compare themselves in this world.

Spending the evening with Papyrus (or to be honest, doing anything else than brooding in his room on his own) had helped Edge to calm down a little more. The cheerful skeleton hadn’t even tried to touch the subject of Edge’s sour mood, so it was way easier to lose himself in the sheer act of cooking. He still was pissed with the whole situation and with himself, but at least it was that familiar and cold anger he was so used to feel. When he took care of cleaning after the whole ordeal, he came up to a conclusion - for now, the only thing he could actually do was dealing with his life the usual way. It’s not like he even wanted to join The Miserable Lot before you had suggested it. It didn’t matter to him, or at least it shouldn’t matter. He hid the violin in his closet for now, however. He didn't need a reminder.

It was hard to act as if nothing had happened though. Even the other lazybones had noticed that the aggressive skeleton was moodier, so there was no way he could hide that fact from his own brother. Fortunately, the smaller skeleton didn’t try to push him for some more in-depth explanations, so Edge could go about his daily routine without losing his temper again. It seemed like Sans really meant to give him space to deal with things on his own. Things were getting slightly better except for the fact you had less time for him and Toby didn’t text him even once.

He tried with all his might to push away his grim thoughts that you had lied about being eager to keep hanging out with him. At least you were still sending him messages as often as before, so nothing had changed in that matter, but it’s been a few days since he had actually seen you in person and that was beginning to bother him more and more. He knew you had your own stuff to do and Edge was working more lately - his freelancing finally had turned into a regular job - but… he just wished to meet you. Even for five minutes, just to make sure you weren’t really avoiding him, to see you smile at him and know, that everything is like it used to be.

Or perhaps this was for the better? He couldn’t be a danger to you if he wasn’t really around, could he? There was this dark part of his soul that told him he should avoid you and your friends altogether because Damien was right about him and it was just a matter of time before he actually hurts somebody for real.

He was about to change the water in the bucket he was using while cleaning this particularly dirty part of the floor in his employer’s loft when he heard another farting notification from his phone. Despite his not so happy thoughts, he smirked a little - you have been sending him the stupidest jokes all day and he was eager to read what else you had in store for him. Edge was positive, that if you ever joined forces with his brother, the world probably wouldn’t survive the sheer amount of jokes and pranks you both would unleash.

**The Human** : Wanna join us after the rehearsal?

**The Human** : Just me, Tobs and Cin, no assholes.

**The Human** : Except for you, if you come.

Edge frowned and re-read the messages again, only to make sure he understood correctly. He was glad you finally wanted to do something together with him - despite the fact that he could propose something himself, he didn’t dare to try. Yet, at the same time, he had still his doubts and wasn’t entirely certain that defying Damien like that was a good way to go for all of the humans. The bassist wasn’t your parent or guardian nor had he any power over you and your friends, but still… Their previous aggressive conversation made Edge rethink his behavior and relationships with humans several times. What if the bassist was _right_? What if he was _wrong_? How the fuck was Edge supposed to know answers to those?

The thing he knew right now was that your lot still had rehearsals, so clearly, the band was still together. He was also certain you wouldn’t rope your friends into hanging out with him if you weren’t sure they all would be somewhat comfortable with the idea. Edge maybe wasn’t too thrilled to face all three humans at once, but he could easily manage that if that meant spending time with you and making sure he didn’t make your life harder.

**Edge Lord** : Where?

**The Human** : My place.

**The Human:** And please text Tobs. Here’s his number 327 872 334.

**The Human:** He’s too nervous to write first.

Another frown crossed his features, as the skeleton was sure you wrote that ‘nervous’ part to soften the blow. Toby was scared of him and that’s the only reason the small human didn’t dare to write him any messages past those few days. He considered ignoring what you wrote and getting back to his work, but at the same time, he wanted to do something to make the drummer less scared of him. Despite Damien’s words and the skeleton’s own grim thoughts, Edge still hoped he could continue those secret lessons with Toby. He grew fond of the small human and those shared hours of music.

**Edge:** Don’t be a fucking wimp. I’m not going to kill you for a text.

The skeleton had second thoughts about what he wrote the moment he hit the send button. He had never texted anybody else except for you and Sans, so rude and aggressive sentences came to him more naturally. In hindsight, he should have taken his time to compose something less threatening. It was too late now and the only thing he could do was either to wait for the small human to answer or going back to work. After five minutes, he decided it was stupid of him to stare at the device in a vain hope, so he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and resumed scrubbing the floor with a mop.

Edge had managed to finish cleaning most of the floor by the time he heard a familiar message notification. For a moment, he thought he received another one of your silly jokes, but this time it was the small drummer. Apparently, Toby took longer to answer. That shouldn’t be this surprising to Edge, considering he knew how much work there was around the drum set and the synthesizer during rehearsals. You didn’t have any instrument to take care of except for a microphone - which probably belonged to Damien anyway.

**Drum Boy:** Sorry! I didn’t want to bother you.

**Edge:** ______ is bothering me instead, so it’s NOT WORKING.

**Drum Boy:** I’m sorry! I’m texting now. Does it count?

**Edge:** Yes. Barely.

**Drum Boy:** Are you coming to ________’s place later?

He hesitated before even touching any blasted button again. Why was he even asking this? Was it a sort of invitation for the monster to actually come or was the small human checking whether the coast was clear for him to hang out with his friends without Edge in the picture? It was exhausting, really, to have all those doubts and questions still reeling in his mind over and over again. Edge wondered if that’s how it will always feel like with him.

**Edge:** Yes.

**Drum Boy:** : )

Whatever the small human meant with those two characters, it completely eluded Edge at first. For a moment there the skeleton thought his device was broken or that Toby accidentally sent him those when something happened. The whole thing looked kind of familiar though, so the skeleton tilted his phone a little.

“ **Oh…** ”, he mumbled to himself when he had finally realized what that was.

This erased his doubts regarding the small human and Edge felt a little weird with a warm feeling that appeared in his soul.

* * *

The skeleton didn’t have much time after finishing his work to come back home and change, though he wished that he could. It’s not that the black hoodie he wore was uncomfortable - Edge even started to understand why his brother preferred this type of clothing - but somehow he felt better with his leather jacket. He knew he looked more intimidating in it, both because of the metal spikes on the shoulders and the fact that his spine was showing. Monsters and humans alike seemed to be equally taken aback by this, for their respective reasons. Despite being covered from head to toes right now, he felt naked without his usual garment while walking in the late evening through your neighborhood.

With winter getting closer, the evenings began earlier already and were more chilly. It was getting dark when Edge finally crossed the last street to your apartment building and reached your metal door with two dents in it. He heard laughter coming from inside of your loft and recognized all three voices - you, Cindy and even Toby seemed to be having a really good time. The monster raised his hand to knock but hesitated when another fit of laughter reached him. Maybe you’d be better off without him? You did sound happy right now, carefree even. Should he try and protect you from himself by leaving now?

No. If your previous actions taught him anything it’s that you would hate to be treated like that. Edge didn’t want to behave like Damien and make decisions for you. Even if the bassist was right, the skeleton knew that doing that was making you angry, and for a good reason. You and your friends were adults and he should treat all of you as such. He told you and Toby he would come anyway, so he intended to keep his word.

He decided to finally knock, and quite loud at that, to make sure he would be heard over all the giggles and silly noises your lot was currently producing for whatever reason. The people inside went silent for a moment, but a second later he heard you yell “I’m coming!” in a cheerful tone.

“There you are, Edge of the Jungle!”, you greeted him with a wide grin. Edge noticed that your cheeks were a little red, probably from all the laughter a minute ago.

“ **Yes.** ”, he grumbled and entered your apartment.

“Alrighty, then! We’re playing ‘ _Truth or Dare_ ’ now. You can join us if you wanna.”, you briefly touched his arm in a strange but not unwelcome gesture before bouncing back to the living room.

The skeleton proceeded to take off his shoes. “ **I don’t know what that is, human. It sounds** ** _ridiculous_** **.** ”, he answered you with a huff.

“Because it is _ridiculous_ _!_ ”, your voice boomed happily from the living room and Edge followed you there.

The other two humans were there with you. The small coffee table was moved to the wall, making room on the fluffy carpet for whatever shenanigans were you up to. Toby was sitting with his back to the wall, but despite clearly defensive position in the room, he looked much less tense than usual. Cindy was lying in the armchair, opposite of him, her head dangling over the edge of the seat and feet up. Her ginger hair was on the floor and her face was red for some reason. And there was also Ed… somebody had taped sunglasses to his skull and loosely wrapped a tie around his neck. The anatomy prop sat on the couch in a weird pose that probably was meant to look classy but ultimately turned out to be weird and uncomfortable to look at. There was an empty wine bottle lying on the carpet in the middle of the room.

Edge noticed some glasses, bottles of soda and alcohol and bowls of sweets on the coffee table. Most of those seemed untouched, which meant the weird hang out had just started and the monster wasn’t that late.

“Aaah… ________. How _long_ am I supposed to be like that?”, Cindy whined and flailed with one hand while she used the other one to keep herself steady in this weird position.

You looked at the watch hanging on the wall and pursed your lips. “One more minute, Cin.”

The woman groaned loudly and pressed her hand to her forehead.

“ **Dare I ask…?** ”, Edge didn’t make any move to claim his seat on the couch or on the floor, not entirely sure what the hell was going on right now.

“Oh, right! This is called ‘ _Truth or Dare_ ’, my dear monster friend. We humans play it to kill time, embarrass ourselves and have a great time while doing so.”, you said in an announcing tone. “ _First_ , one person spins a bottle. _Then_ asks whoever the bottle chose whether the poor victim wants to answer a question or do something silly. _Finally_ , said victim hears the question or the dare and that’s where the real fun begins. Cindy is doing her dare right now.”, you pointed at the ginger head woman. “Aaaaand, time’s up.”

“Oh, _thank god_ …”, Cindy struggled to sit up and changed her position before grabbing her head. “Uuhhh… I can hear my blood in my ears.”

“ **What if a dare is too stupid?** ”, Edge frowned a little. This game still sounded ridiculous, but also a little daunting. He knew you, but he wasn’t sure what other humans could come up with.

“You can decline, obviously. And switch it to truth instead. There are some rules here, so nobody will go overboard with their ideas. Like you don’t have to do stuff you’re really uncomfortable with or you can’t dare people to say the truth they avoided previously. It’s just about being silly together.”

The skeleton monster was still staring at you, clearly considering whether the whole stupid game seemed worth the hassle. It did sound interesting, in a way. He wanted to learn more about you but at the same time felt dumb about asking you some things outright. You didn’t ask him too many questions, respecting his boundaries and privacy, so he should do the same, shouldn’t he? He would be able to learn things about other humans too. Like Toby. Or… Cindy. He actually knew next to nothing about her.

You noticed his hesitance fairly quickly. “And nothing that is said here or done leaves the room, you can trust us on that, Edge. It really is just for fun. Even if we laugh about it, it means we’re laughing with each other, okay? But you don’t have to play. We can start another game.”

“ **No. It’s… fine.** ”, he grumbled and sat on the floor next to the coffee table. There was no way on earth he was going to sit next to that blasted anatomy prop.

“Cool!”, you took your spot on the carpet in front of him, leaning on the couch behind you. “Now is Cin’s turn to spin the bottle.”

The redhead woman was still sitting in the armchair, so she had to slide from the seat and onto the floor to be on the same level as the rest of the group. Her face didn’t seem so red right now, as Edge had noticed. Human flesh was so weird to him.

“Next one is…”, Cindy spun the bottle and when it stopped, it was pointing at you. “Oh, yes.”

“My, Cin. I didn’t peg you as a vengeful type!”, you gasped dramatically and pressed your hand to your chest. “Truth.”

“Ha!”, the woman pointed her finger at you. “What are you really scared of?”, she asked loudly, her voice taunting.

You shrugged almost immediately. “Nope. Dare.”

“Come on… it’s the third time you avoid the question!”, she groaned, clearly unsatisfied with your answer.

You smiled at her devilishly. “Oh, _I know_. But the answer is so embarrassing you wouldn’t let it live down. Ever.”, you wagged your finger a few times. “Give me your dare instead.”

“Alright. Then I dare you to give someone your phone and let them send one text to anyone in your contacts.”, Cindy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted a little.

You grimaced, but produced your phone out of your pocket and looked around the room. After a while of thinking, you had finally handed the device to Cindy.

“I think I’m not gonna handle that one this sober.”, you grumbled jokingly and stood up.

Edge was observing the whole banter quite attentively, so he noticed how your expression had changed for a split second when you had heard the question. Nobody else seemed to notice that though. The skeleton decided to remember this little fact for later - he was also wondering what could possibly scare somebody like you and why were you so protective of this secret just now. You said it yourself that he could trust the humans here, so it was either something really weird you thought the others wouldn’t get or it was something heavy. Too heavy to share with anybody.

You walked up to the coffee table and proceeded to make yourself a drink while Cindy was tapping something on your phone with a mischievous grin.

“Somebody else wants something?”, you asked and looked at each person in the room, starting with Edge.

It turned out, all the humans wanted to drink and the only monster declined, for now, not really feeling up to drinking anything in front of the others. When all the glasses were handed out and the phone was returned to its previous owner, you sat down across Edge again. It was the moment he understood he chose a very poor place to sit - other humans weren’t so eager to come near him and take something from the coffee table. Even Cindy seemed more withdrawn, though he noticed she was looking at him frequently.

“Who did you ch- oh damn.”, you checked something on your phone and rolled your eyes. “Perfect… just perfect.”

“Hey, you could have always answered my question. I was torn between the Punmaster and the Fartmaster. Who are those guys?”, Cindy asked between hearty sips of her drink.

“Edge’s brothers.”, you pointed at the skeleton with your chin and grabbed the bottle. “Nice guys.”

Edge felt the gaze of other two people on him when the meaning of your words finally sank in. He never actually denied when you assumed that the other Sans was his brother. The rest of the skeletons didn’t seem too eager to explain it in any way too, probably choosing this version over the ‘just cousins’ one. Two sets of twins seemed more believable than two sets of cousins being the same age and looking completely alike. Especially when telling anybody about the alternate universes and magical fuck-up was completely out of the question.

“Didn’t know you have brothers.”, Cindy perked up a little and her smile seemed more natural when she was looking at the skeleton. “So three of you live in Ebott together?”

“ **Four.** ”, Edge answered curtly, feeling a little bit weird with this kind of attention. “ **Four of us.** ”

“Toby!”, you announced before the redhead woman could ask him any more questions. “Truth or dare?”

The attention of the whole room shifted towards the small human who was carefully nursing his drink in both of his hands. He fidgeted a little before finally speaking up in a timid voice. “Dare…?”

You rubbed your hands in a malicious gesture. “ _Fantastic_. Tobson. I dare you to act like a villain and tell us your evil evil plan in an evil evil monologue.”

For a moment there, the small human looked like he was going to decline - his face turned beet red immediately and his shoulders hunched a bit. Then he nodded a few times and slowly set his glass on the floor right next to the wall. Edge was really curious about both the dare and how Toby was going to face it. The longer the game lasted, the more he thought it was really interesting to see how all of the humans reacted to those kinds of things. It was still stupid, though.

“Wait!”, you stood up quickly and grabbed the blanket that was lying on the couch next to Ed’s only leg. “You need a cape!”, you exclaimed and bounced towards Toby with a wide smile.

“O… okay.”, the small human agreed and waited patiently for you to toss the blanket on his shoulders and tie the corners under his chin. When you had finished, you sat on the ground not so far from him and stared at him expectantly.

“So… um…”, Toby wrung his hands while looking around at all three people that were waiting for him to begin. Everybody was quiet, both curious to see what he would come up with and patient for the human’s shyness. “I… I guess…”

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat before straightening himself a little. “So… I-I have co-committed a hi-hideous crime.”, he started, his voice wavering. “A-and n… now no-nobody will stop me from… from putting my p-plan in play.”, he gulped loudly but still seemed determined to go through the dare. “I… I have…”, he hesitated to look around the room in search of inspiration.

“... sto...stolen all the pi-pillows…?”, he mumbled quietly. His face got red again.

“Oh no! What shall we do now?!”, you quickly reacted while dramatically putting your hand on your forehead. “How will we sleep without our pillows?!”

Cindy stifled her giggle by pressing her sleeve to her mouth.

“E-exactly!”, Toby smiled nervously. “None of y-you can s… sleep now. And when y-you all co...collapse from e-exhaustion, nobody will be a-able to stand a-against me.”, he puffed his chest.

The red-haired woman grabbed the other end of the blanket that was hanging on Toby’s fragile form and started moving it as if trying to imitate the blowing wind. “Oh no! It’s Toby the Terrible! We’re all doomed!”

Toby apparently got into his role, because he squinted his eyes a little and stared proudly at the wall as if addressing a much larger crowd. “I-It is I! I will w-watch the na-nations fall i-into chaos. The gov… governments cru-crumble. Pe-people nap in… in the streets. T… the world will be m-mine!”

Both you and Cindy started clapping and cheering at the small human as he took a bow. The whole scene turned into another fit of laughter, especially when Cindy threw the blanket over Toby’s head. Edge didn’t react in any way to this simply because he wasn’t sure what to do in a situation like that. He knew Toby wasn’t a person who would be comfortable in a center of attention, yet this silly game made him take the spotlight for a while. And he definitely had fun while doing this. The other humans were supportive, even when he struggled in the beginning. It was… odd to see something like that, but at the same time, it seemed perfectly normal and natural, just like he saw you all joke around during the paintball match.

The skeleton was staring at all three humans with a frown, wondering whether he would be ever able to feel this comfortable around anybody. You and your friends seemed so cheerful and carefree now, almost as if nothing bad has ever happened in your life. Edge knew that wasn’t the case. Every single human in the apartment had some pretty tough shit to deal with in their life… perhaps even still dealt with it right now. But they all were still able to laugh and joke in a way that didn’t seem defensive... like Sans often did.

When Toby finally got untangled and the dare officially ended, all the humans grabbed their drinks. Cindy even dared to walk past Edge to grab some jelly beans from the bowl on the coffee table. The atmosphere in the room felt a little less tense since that and the skeleton took it for a good sign.

“You understand the game so far?”, you asked him when you finally settled back and prepped the anatomy prop’s leg on your knee. It looked weird, but this time Edge didn’t even pay it any mind.

Edge turned his head to look at Toby, who was getting ready to spin the bottle. “ **It seems simple enough.** ”

The bottle turned for a short while and pointed at Cindy.

“Truth.”, she spoke quickly.

“Oh come on, why are you so scared of his dares, Cin?”, you leaned a little and nudged her with a finger. The woman jumped a little and shuffled farther away from you with a silly hiss.

“You know why. There’s an _evil mastermind_ hidden in there.”, she stuck out her tongue at you.

“W-what is the a-airspeed vel… velocity of an un-unladen s… swallow?”, the small human asked his question that sounded really puzzling to Edge, but Cindy clearly recognized it.

“Seriously!? I _don’t_ remember! I won’t _ever_ remember!”, she blurted out, getting red on her cheeks as you and Toby giggled quietly. “And I’m not watching this with you again!”

She quickly grabbed the bottle to give it a hearty spin. When it stopped and the cork was clearly pointing at Edge, everybody in the room got silent for a long moment. The skeleton monster started to feel uncomfortable because the redhead woman apparently forgot how to speak and didn’t ask the question.

“ **Truth.** ”, he spoke in a cautious tone, ready to break the tense silence. Somehow his voice sounded too rough for him compared to your friend’s voices. It bothered him.

“Oh… um…”, Cindy stuttered a little.

Edge cocked his head to the right and waited. Her face turned red instantly and the skeleton noticed that Cindy and Toby blushed differently. While the drummer usually got his ears red first, the redhead seemed to get her blush on her neckline before it reached her face.

“Okay.”, she took a deep breath. “Who do you think is the sexiest person in here?”, she almost blurted that out too quick for him to understand.

The skeleton backed away a little and blinked a few times. That was an odd question, to say the least, though not the weirdest he had heard in his life yet. Cindy covered her face with her hands immediately and you snickered quietly. Seems like that silly crush the redhead woman developed for Edge still wasn’t gone.

The skeleton took his time to look around the room and stare at every (living) person in there. He already had his answer, one that he hoped would break some ice between him and the other humans, but still wasn’t sure if that’s a good way to go.

He finally let out a loud sigh and pointed at himself with his finger. “ **Me.** ”, he said calmly with a smirk.

It didn’t help Cindy to lose her colors, but at least everybody giggled. Edge was a little worried he wouldn’t react well to this kind of laughter, but somehow none of the humans seemed to be mocking him in any way. It was… even nice to be the one who made the whole room laugh like that.

“No argument here.”, you snorted and motioned at the bottle with your hand. “Spin it, Edge Hammer. Let’s see who’s suffering next.”

The skeleton leaned forward to grab the bottle and do what you instructed. He noticed that the glass made a weird sound when it spun on the soft carpet and then stopped… pointing at you.

Your smile widened. “Dare.”

And this was the moment Edge wasn’t ready for. He thought it was easier to ask some simple or dumb questions, but coming up with dares seemed… much harder. Of course, he should have been ready for something like that - it was you the bottle chose. He opened and closed his jaw a few times before finally getting an idea. A stupid one, but maybe it would fit the whole silliness of the game.

“ **What’s the usual timespan for a dare?** ”, Edge finally asked.

“Uh… it depends.”, you and Cindy exchanged looks. “Cindy’s was 5 minutes, but some other stuff might be too hard to do for that long.”

“ **Sounds about right…** ”, the skeleton hesitated again. He felt so odd right now and he couldn’t exactly name what was going on in his soul. “ **I dare you... to put your hands in somebody else’s pockets and keep them there for this long, human.** ”

You clapped your hands. “Oh, this one is good. But I’ll have to spin the bottle beforehand, ok? We can keep playing while I do my dare.”

“ **Fair enough.** ”, Edge nodded approvingly and pushed the bottle towards you. His phalanges rapped on the glass in the process.

“Wait.”, Cindy chimed in before you got the chance to grab the bottle properly. “Whose pockets are you going to use?”

“Tobs?”, you looked at the human who almost choked on his drink when he heard his name.

The small human wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Why me a-again?”, there was no refusal in his voice, though it did sound a little offended.

You spun the bottle vigorously. “Because your pockets are the biggest.”, you wiggled your eyebrows as the cork stopped while pointing at Cindy again. The redhead woman groaned.

With a weird malicious laughter, you walked on all fours towards Toby to sit next to him and stuff your hands into his pockets. He didn’t fight you in any way, so Edge assumed every single one of your friends went through something similar - they knew you were crazy but safe at the same time and agreed to most of your harmless shenanigans.

“Well?”, you asked while lowering your head to prep your chin on Toby’s shoulder. “What’s the verdict?”

Edge looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall and then shifted his attention to Cindy. She was still a little red on her face.

“Truth.”, she rolled her eyes.

“Okay~. What do you think is the _worst_ way to die?”, you asked in a nonchalant tone, though Edge noticed that the happy spark in your eyes got a tad more serious. Toby seemed pretty much not fazed by your closeness. It wasn’t surprising though… there was something in the way you were behaving that wasn’t threatening at all.

“Uuuuuhhhh… I don’t wanna think about it. Give me a dare.”, Cindy brushed her poofy hair back with both of her hands, but it did nothing to restrain her ginger locks.

You hummed for a moment, clearly thinking about something. “Oh! I know! Order us pizza…”, your voice trailed off a little. “... in a _sexy_ voice.”

“Oh my god, you’re the worst!”, Cindy threw her last jelly bean at you, but it smacked Toby on the nose. He flinched and almost spilled the rest of his drink on himself.

“ _Hey_!”, the small human blurted out when he made sure he didn’t pour the beverage on his blouse. The jelly bean was in his glass.

“Remember, I have a living shield now, Cin!”, you hid your head behind him, your hands still stuck in his pockets.

“Fine! But I’m using your phone!”, she grumbled.

Again, Edge was observing the humans with growing interest. Half of your drinks were gone already, though he didn’t notice any of you to act drunk yet. Maybe Toby was a little too calm for his usual demeanor, but that’s it.

After asking what pizzas exactly were supposed to be ordered your dare’s time was up, so you could finally sit back at your spot. You handed Cindy your phone and she called your favorite pizza place. Her face was red again and she avoided the skeleton with her embarrassed gaze.

“Uh… hello?”, she stuttered at first but quickly tried to compose herself and tried again. “ _Hello there~_.”, her voice got really low and sultry.

Both you and Toby started snickering and Cindy smacked you on your arm - she was still trying to sound ‘sexy’ while ordering three big pizzas for everybody in the loft. Even Edge smirked a little at this, feeling a tad less tense. Fortunately, the redhead managed to finish the call without falling out of character and tossed the phone in your direction.

Still fuming and embarrassed, Cindy proceeded to spin a bottle, and this time, it was Toby’s turn.

“Truth.”, the small human said without hesitation.

Cindy squinted her eyes a little. “Did you have a nickname, Tobs? Like in school or something?”

Toby tapped at his glass a few times. “Y-yeah. They c-called me… S-Stick.”, his ears got a little redder.

“Why?”, she frowned in surprise.

The small human just shrugged at her question and drank the rest of his beverage. He stood up and walked to the coffee table to set his empty glass next to the bowl of chips. Toby did look a little nervous, but… he was standing next to Edge despite that. After grabbing some snacks, the small human sat a little further from the wall and closer to the rest of the group. The bottle spun again.

“ **Truth…** ”, Edge said warily while eyeing Toby.

“Oh… um… O-okay.”, he nibbled the hem of his sleeve with his fingers. “W… what would y-you do if you w-were a… a human… for one d-day?”

This question caught everybody’s attention. Edge felt the humans’ intense stares on him as the whole room waited for his answer. He never even thought about such bizarre ideas like this one. For the past few weeks, he had learned that he knew very little about the human race. The history was filled with so many wars, treaties, conquests and discoveries it was really hard to find time to read about it all. Biology was another endless field of knowledge the skeleton barely touched - some of the things he had read were pretty unsettling to him. Humans were… complicated, just like Papyrus had said. But was there anything he would like to do as a human?

You, Toby and Cindy waited patiently for his answer, giving him as much time as he needed to think about it. Despite that, Edge still felt a little uncomfortable. Not about the question - he was sure he’ll think of something soon - but again, with the attention. All of you were curious about him, yet this was maybe the first question he got from your lot that referred somehow to his monster heritage.

The skeleton scoffed loudly and looked away while scraping the back of his head with his phalanges. “ **... something with the hair maybe.** ”, he grumbled with a grimace.

He was ready for it, though it still annoyed the hell out of him when all of you burst out laughing. Cindy tried to hide her face under the collar of her shirt and you were doubled over on the floor. Even Toby was snickering.

“ **WHAT!? I DON’T HAVE ANY!** ”, Edge yelled, but this time it had the opposite effect - you all laughed harder. “ **THAT’S THE ONLY THING INTERESTING IN YOUR DISGUSTING AND OVERLY COMPLICATED BODIES!** ”

He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled angrily. There was a warm feeling of magic creeping up onto his cheekbones he wished he would avoid while playing this stupid game. He understood perfectly that the main idea was to embarrass the other players as much as possible without crossing a line, but he wasn’t used to something like that. Stars, he wasn’t used to any of that.

“Okay… okay. That’s cool, you know. Never thought about it that way.”, you giggled between the sentences.

“Y-yeah…”, Toby agreed and cast an apologetic look at the skeleton, who was still fuming.

“Come on, Edgepunzel. You can get back at us now.”, you pointed at the bottle, and the skeleton grabbed it in an aggressive gesture.

“ **Fine!** ”, he barked before spinning the bottle and waiting for the outcome.

“T-truth!”, the small human immediately said, not giving Edge a chance to ask ‘truth or dare?’ question.

With both dares and questions, there was always a problem to come up with any idea that would fit the humans. Edge knew almost nothing about Cindy and Toby, thought this evening gave him a lot for that matter already. Still… for Edge, the only way to think of some questions or dares was to wonder about himself. What questions wouldn't he like to answer honestly? What was he embarrassed about? He did, of course, remember to adjust those questions to the situation. There was no way that any human in this room did things the skeleton had to. Though…

“ **What was the most expensive thing you had ever stolen?** ”, Edge asked after a while of pondering. He still was a little pissed off and it was clearly audible in the monster’s voice.

Toby pursed his lips and his ears became red again. It took some time for the small human to think about the answer. “I-I… don’t think I e-ever stole any… anything. Ma-maybe… a pen at… at the p-post office?”

Cindy snickered quietly. “We all have been there.”

The skeleton shrugged and pushed the bottle towards the small human. He figured out as much, that most of your friends didn’t commit any real crime in their lives. He was glad this was the case. His question came from his own experience though, and for a shorter while, he couldn’t stop thinking about the nice-cream he had stolen when he was just a babybones.

He knew then he was doing something wrong and dangerous, but his brother had been down for a long time and Edge had been worried. None of his usual methods had helped to cheer Sans up even a little, especially after long and exhausting hours of work outdoors. He was stupid then, but dead set on trying out something else, so he snuck outside in the middle of the day. The theft went smooth and nobody even noticed a small skeleton wrapped in three oversized and tattered sweaters that ran away with just one nice-cream pressed to his small chest…

Sans got _so_ mad. He yelled at him for about an hour and most of the treat had melted because of that. They never wasted any food, so the other skeleton shared the nice-cream with him, still angry but too tired to scold his little sibling anymore. Edge noticed that his brother’s mood got better after that, so all the danger and anger felt worth it. This one and _only_ time.

“Okay… I’m feeling brave, so I choose dare.”, you spoke up when the bottle pointed at you this time.

Cindy gasped dramatically and covered her mouth with her hand. Everybody turned to look at Toby.

“I… I dare y-you to…”, Toby smiled a little and looked at the skeleton. “... use the wo-worst pi… pickup line y-you know.”

Edge raised his brow bones and turned to stare at you. “ **The worst what…?** ”

Nobody answered as Cindy and Toby were focused on you. Your gaze wandered for a while before you finally straightened yourself and leaned a little towards the monster. “Is your father a beaver?”

“ **What…?** **”** , Edge blurted out, totally unprepared for something like this.

“Because _damn_!”, you pointed finger guns at him and winked.

The skeleton blinked a few times. “ **... did you just…?** ”

“Oh, my god. That was _horrible_.”, Cindy groaned, though there was a wide smile on her lips.

Toby was shaking with unrestrained laughter and tried to keep sitting upright with his arms wrapped around his stomach. He ultimately failed and ended up lying on the floor and gasping for air. His wild giggles were clearly contagious, as the other humans started laughing loudly too.

Edge shook his head in a chiding manner, but he also had a small smile on his face. “ **You've spent one evening with my brother and he’s already ruined your sense of humor, human.** ”, he huffed in a slightly amused tone.

“I know, _right_?”, you chortled. “I didn’t know puns could be so funny.”

“ **Because they’re not.** ”, Edge responded with a defeated scoff.

You looked at Toby who was still trying to collect himself. “You good there, dude?”, you chuckled when the small human gave you thumbs up from his spot on the floor. “Alright.”

The bottle was spinning again.

“Myyyyyy… wonderful edgy monster friend~”, you smiled widely. “You know what I’m going to ask you if you choose the truth.”

“ **Fuck no. No way.** ”, he snapped at you immediately, knowing perfectly well you were talking about the ‘forbidden sock question’. He wasn’t entirely sure you would really stoop so low to ask this in front of other humans, but…

“So what is it?”, you laced your fingers and prepped your chin on your hands.

The skeleton scowled. “ **I _know_ you have something weird as a dare, I’m not that dense.** ”

“Why… I would _never_!”, you gasped in mock offense.

Edge rolled his eye lights. “ **Just tell me!** ”, he barked.

He wasn’t sure the other humans knew what was going on here. The way he was talking with you right now was somewhat normal when it came to your relationship with the skeleton. It worried him a little that you’d decided to do that now, with Cindy and Toby in the room, but the other humans were just curiously looking at the weird banter unfolding in front of them and didn't seem scared of the irritated monster.

“Okay, okay.”, you untangled your hands. “I dare you to give our lovely skeleton child _a_ _hug_.”, you said those words and gave a hearty pat on Ed’s knee.

Edge had to take a deep breath. He covered his face with his bony palm and let out a loud and exasperated sigh. “ **... are you fucking serious…?** ”, he groaned both at the way you called the anatomy prop and the dare.

“He’s _dying_ for your embrace~!”, you dragged the skeleton from the couch an onto your knees and began waving its arms. Cindy backed away a little from you.

“ **Fine. Shut up! No more fucking puns!** ”, Edge relented before you started spewing more of those. “ **Give me that thing!** ”

You handed him the anatomy prop with the stupidest and widest grin Edge had ever seen on your face. The monster ignored the way other humans were staring at him and the fact that he felt his magic act up again. He didn’t want to think how dumb he must look, staring at the skeleton he was holding at arm's length and away from himself. He was having second thoughts about this dare already.

“ **Un-fucking-believable…** ”, he muttered angrily to himself.

He was pissed. Mostly at you, because _of course_ , _this_ would be your idea. What else!? But there was also that part of him that thought he could just tell you any blatant lie about the socks and all the humans would buy it. It was too late for that now - even not being The Great and Terrible Papyrus anymore, Edge never backed down from a challenge.

Hugging the limp, motionless prop was an off-putting experience he hoped he would never have to repeat. Edge did it quickly and almost tossed the skeleton away, but reconsidered in the last second. He felt strangely uncomfortable about the mere thought of manhandling it, so he just laid it next to himself before glaring daggers at you.

“ _ **Happy?**_ ”, he spat.

You clapped your hands. “I’m _overjoyed_. And you’re blushing.”, you pointed out mercilessly.

“ **I’M NOT!** ”, Edge raised his voice again. “ **I TOLD YOU BEFORE, THAT’S ANGER! I’M ANGRY!** ”

“Alright. I think it’s time for a little break.”, you clearly ignored his yelling as always and stood up. I’m gonna make some tea. Cindy? Tobs? Edge?”

The (real) skeleton huffed with frustration but nodded along with other humans. He watched as you grabbed the empty glasses from all the guests and left the living room. After a few seconds, Edge got to his feet too, seeing an opportunity to finally have a moment with you alone… and maybe have a chance to change the place where he was sitting, so the other humans wouldn’t be too nervous to grab more snacks. He followed you to the kitchen without a word.

“ **You may need more than two hands to carry those mugs.** ”, he spat this excuse in your direction when he entered the room.

“Oh, cool.”, you turned your head to look at him, clearly surprised. “Listen… that dare-”

“ **Save it.** ”, he shook his head, though, despite his words, his tone was still laced with irritation. “ **It’s just a _stupid_ game, right? If it was that bad, I wouldn’t do this shit.** ”

You nodded. “Well, yeah. Okay.”

Edge stood near the door and observed your every little move while you were preparing four mugs of tea for everybody. The skeleton’s mind was reeling now, trying to think of a way to start. There was one thing he desperately wanted to say to you since that fight with Damien, but he wasn’t sure how to put it into words.

“ **_______…** ”, he spoke in a calmer manner, gaining your attention immediately. 

“Hmmm?”, you turned around and leaned on the counter behind you.

Edge didn’t want the other humans to hear that, so he walked up to you close enough to touch you if he bothered to reach out. Only standing so near made him remember how small you were compared to him - he was looming over you now and his shadow fell on your form and your face.

“ **You should...** ”, he paused when it occurred to him how would that sound. No. Not like that. This wasn’t something he could _demand_ from you. “ **Can I ask you to tell me next time I… grab you… or squeeze you too tightly?** ”, his voice got even softer. “ **I’m… still figuring out that human flesh of yours. It seems you’re all far more fragile than I have thought.** ”

His gaze shifted to your arms, looking for any remnants of his previous accidental abuse. There was nothing now, but he remembered quite vividly how the first bruise he made looked like.

“Oh… _oh_!”, you blinked a few times and one of your hands reached to touch your own arm. Probably at the same spot where he left those bruises. “Sure. I’ll try to remember that. You know it’s fine though, right?”

“ **No, it’s not.** ”, he growled lowly but immediately looked away from you. “ **I… don’t want this to keep happening…** ”, he muttered after a while of silence.

Edge felt the touch of your warm hand on his elbow. “Alright.”, you whispered and squeezed his bones through the black sleeve. “I’ll tell you when it happens. I promise.”

The skeleton nodded slowly. “ **... thank you.** ”, he managed to say before looking at you again.

He met your worried gaze that quickly shifted to something much warmer when you smiled. Edge felt a huge weight from his soul suddenly disappear and he knew at that moment how much your strange, puzzling smile meant to him. Only now he was sure everything was fine between you and him and that certainty made him smile a little too.

Both you and the skeleton got startled by the electric kettle, which announced that the water had been boiled with a loud _click_. Edge realized he had been staring at you for a while now and he took an awkward step back to make more room. You quickly took care of preparing the tea and grabbed two mugs while motioning at the other two with your chin for him to do the same.

Edge followed you to the living room and the ‘ _Truth or Dare?_ ’ resumed. The skeleton was sitting in front of Toby now - making you sit next to him and closer to the coffee table - and that allowed the other humans to help themselves with snacks more frequently. The game was getting more embarrassing and ridiculous each round and each drink the humans had, but at some moment, Edge stopped being bothered by the fact he was spending time with you _and_ your friends - he wasn’t feeling like a third wheel anymore. He was glad he came.

Toby turned out to be truly imaginative with his questions and dares. Somehow he had even roped Edge into trying to hula hoop in the middle of the room. It wasn’t as easy as the skeleton monster initially assumed, but ultimately he managed to last for those 30 seconds and finish the dare. The game was paused for a few moments of a wild chase around the loft - you had recorded the whole stupid thing on your phone and threatened to send it to both Sanses.

It got late and the pizza delivery service was still taking its sweet time to finally arrive at your apartment. Everybody agreed that you would all play the last round before switching to watching a movie -  all of the humans and the monster were getting tired of the shenanigans, no matter how entertaining they were. Your Miserable Lot had a pretty tense and long rehearsal today as Edge had learned, so it wasn’t that surprising. The bottle spun for the last time - this time it was Cindy’s turn to do that.

“ **Truth.** ”, the skeleton said while peeking into one of the bowls on the coffee table. There were only sweets left as he noticed with disappointment and he wasn’t interested in those.

“Edgy, you’re avoiding my dares _all the time_!”, the redhead pouted at him. You had already commandeered her drink and put a glass of water in her hands, but she was still a little tipsy.

“ **So?** ”, the skeleton turned to Cindy and squinted his eye sockets. “ **I’m free to choose between truth or dare, am I not?** ”

“Yeah... It’s more fun when you do some of my dares too.”, she complained.

He shrugged with a scoff. “ **I don’t care.** ”

“Or maybe you’re scared?”, she grumbled under her breath, but unfortunately, the skeleton had heard that.

“ **I AM NOT _SCARED_! IT’S JUST A _STUPID_ GAME!** ”, Edge yelled, suddenly furious at her blatant accusation.

Toby was balancing some jelly beans on his forehead while you were trying to stack as much of them as possible before the sweet tower collapses, so he was distracted and the unexpected shout made him jump from fright. The jelly beans fell on the carpet with a series of soft pats.

Even Cindy got startled by this, finally understanding she crossed her line a little. “Yeah… well… if you say so.”, she muttered in a placating tone, but it was too late. The room’s atmosphere shifted from tired but relaxed to really tense.

“ **Why do you care so much!?** ”, Edge spat in her direction. “ **I’ve done a lot of weird shit today with you, and you’re still not satisfied?! What is it you want me to do so badly, woman?!** ”

Cindy cowered a little and hung her head. The skeleton noticed she was getting red on her neckline and cheeks again and truly hoped it was from shame. She mumbled something incomprehensibly.

“ **Well?!** ”, Edge stood up. He noticed with the corner of his eyes how Toby shifted nervously and you put your hand on the smaller human’s shoulder.

“GOONADATEWITHME!”, she repeated, this time really loudly, and quickly covered her mouth with both of her hands.

The skeleton was so surprised he had to look at the other humans to make sure he heard what she said. “ **… what…?** ”

He heard Cindy get up from her spot on the carpet and that attracted his attention back to her. “Go… o-on… a date… with me…?”, she squeaked nervously. “I… I… wanted to… to ask you earlier, but…”

Edge just stood there in front of her, dumbfounded beyond belief about what he just heard. He knew she had a crush on him, but as far as he was concerned, it was just something fleeting that would end fairly quickly. The monster never did anything that she could interpret as even a hint of interest on his part, not to prolong this stupid hero worship shit - he wasn’t a hero in his opinion. He just punched a hole in the wall instead of killing one prick that annoyed him. He didn’t encourage her, he didn’t even spend a minute alone with that woman after you picked her up from her trashed apartment.

“ **Why...?** ”, was the only question that kept repeating in his mind over and over and the only one he was able to say at the time.

“W-Why? It’s… it’s a dare. It’s… um…”, she swayed a little but kept her balance. “Because…”, her voice wavered as she pursed her lips while her brows knit a little.

It seemed Cindy didn’t understand the question the way Edge meant it. He wasn’t asking why would _he_ choose to take this dare… but why _she_ would even want to date him. He was nothing but rude and obnoxious to her, and… well… he was a dangerous monster. A skeleton, a walking corpse even. Not a human. She…

She really didn’t get a chance to give him any dare, Edge now remembered. There was too much going on at times, so he didn’t pay this much attention to that. Was Cindy behind the whole idea of playing this game? Not that the skeleton was going to complain about all the awkward fun he had this evening, but it sounded a little weird to go to such lengths to just ask _him_ out.

Cindy looked miserable, with her head hanging low, hands laced so tightly her knuckles turned white and swaying a little due to the alcohol that was still present in her body. The skeleton frowned as the memory of Damien’s arguments resurfaced in his mind. He was so occupied with thinking about what a prick Bart was, he forgot that the whole relationship with said abusive douchebag must have been hell for the redhead. Especially the last moments of it. How long were they together? Was it the first time he had acted like that towards Cindy? Was he often yelling at her? Is that why she was so enamored with the monster? Because he was familiar to her but still didn’t cross that line and actually saved her from Bart in a way? Or maybe she was trying to move on by facing her fear? This line of thought was… disheartening.

The bassist told you that Cindy needed a more healthy way to fix herself after what she had been through, yet here they were. Edge yelled at her for trying to ask him on a date and made Damien’s worries come true. And now she was dangerously close to crying.

 “ **... fine.** ”, he said while kicking himself mentally for being such a blind and short-tempered asshole.

“What…?”, her head tilted up quickly in surprise.

“ **I said fine. I will go on a date with you.** ”, he blurted out and crossed his arms over his chest.

A loud sound of your doorbell made everybody in the room flinch. The pizza arrived an hour late.

* * *

The rest of the evening went on without any more shenanigans or arguments, as the whole mood got sour and awkward. Cindy was avoiding the skeleton’s stare like fire and turned beet red every time she got too close to him. You tried to lift others' spirits by putting on a weird movie and singing along with the characters, but after a while, you stopped. At least the pizzas were still hot when they'd arrived.

Toby was too tired after everything that was going on that day and the amount of alcohol he consumed made him doze off right after the dinner. He curled up in the armchair and got wrapped in a blanket shortly after. The rest of the group just sat on the carnivorous couch and stared at the screen quietly, sometimes breaking the silence to comment on what was happening in the movie. Halfway through, Cindy excused herself and left, saying she had something to do before going to bed that day. It didn’t seem truthful, but not you nor Edge tried to point that out - the situation was too awkward already.

Edge had trouble with focusing on the movie, despite it being pretty decent for a magical love story in some silly fairyland. The evening was going so well until he fucked it up with his temper tantrum out of nowhere and he felt guilty for ruining everybody’s fun at the end. Even you got affected by it and seemed as distracted as the skeleton monster was. Edge noticed with the corner of his eye socket that you weren’t paying attention to the screen at some moments and kept staring somewhere else with a pensive expression that was hard to read. He’d waited until the movie was over to leave too, not feeling up for staying longer. It was over for today and there was no point in trying to prolong this.

He decided to walk home with his hood pulled over his head - he didn’t feel like scowling at people right now, and without his jacket, he felt like he would have to put more effort into being intimidating. Edge was too tired and disgruntled to do that. He had noticed that the closer it got to Halloween, the more humans were roaming the streets in the night between the clubs and bars, so the monster chose a less frequented alleys to get home - he didn’t want to stumble upon some drunken teens that were feeling rowdy.

He rarely chose this route on his walks back and forth to your apartment, but since Sans’ drunken fuck-up, the skeleton was set on learning the city’s layout a little better. He hoped he will never need to use this knowledge for rushing to help you ever again, but he preferred to be prepared for that, just in case.

The streets were dirty and narrow here, as those were the back alleys for the main streets. Dumpsters were standing here and there, but somehow all the garbage had found its way to litter the pavement too. It was still puzzling to him how humans could be this messy when the big ass trash cans were almost staring them straight in their faces.

He was passing a small dead-end street where more of the dumpsters were gathered for practical purposes when he heard something alarming. The skeleton pulled down his hood to hear and see better without a thick material obstructing his view and looked around. The noise repeated from the left and Edge took a few careful steps towards a few smaller trash cans - there was a high pitched sound of distress coming from one of them. Whatever was inside, was calling out, unable to free itself because of a tattered brick that somebody put on the lid.

As the voice of the trapped creature sounded very much like whimsun’s squeal, Edge felt magic boil inside of him from rage. It wouldn’t be the first time he heard of humans harassing the smaller, weaker and less ‘intelligent’ monsters. None of those disgusting humans ever dared to go after the bigger ones or the fire monsters, what a surprise. Swearing under his breath on the cowardly pieces of shit that decided to trap a weak monster inside a trash can on a really chilly night, Edge threw the brick off the lid with one angry push. It fell between the other trash cans and hit at least two of them before it finally reached the ground - the noise was almost deafening.

“ **Come out, you miserable…** ”, the skeleton growled in annoyance while taking the lid off and looking inside the trash can, but didn’t notice a familiar set of glowing eyes that all the whimsun shared.

There was something else inside though and it froze the moment the monsters eye lights locked on it’s curled up form, its eyes were shining in a weird way that reminded him of small mirrors or marbles. Both Edge and the creature stood perfectly still for a moment, holding each others' gazes. When the skeleton had finally decided to reach into the bin and grab whatever it was, a gray blur suddenly jumped on his arm and used it as a way out. Before the skeleton could catch the small attacker, it bounced off his bony hand and fell on the ground to clumsily skitter to hide under the closest dumpster on the wheels.

Edge noticed that the creature - whatever it was - was seriously limping. It still could have been a small tormented monster. He didn’t get the time to look at it properly to be sure, so he followed the gray creature to the dumpster and kneeled right next to it to peek into the darkness under its belly. He quickly located the familiar glassy shine of the creature's eyes in the far corner, near the crooked wheel that was closest to the brick wall behind the dumpster.

“ **You know I’m not a human with a head like this, right?** ”, he snapped at the terrified form that was cowering in the shadow.

He didn’t get any satisfying reaction, so he begrudgingly rolled up his sleeves and lowered himself to his knees so his chest was almost touching the dirty ground. Edge’s arms were long enough to reach to the corner where the creature was hiding and when he thought he almost got it, he felt a barely noticeable prickle on his phalanges. He quickly withdrew his hand to take a look at his bones. There were a few shallow scratches that barely left a mark on the hard surface. The creature attacked him.

“ **Oh, really?** ”, the skeleton growled and glared at the small form under the dumpster before reaching towards it again. “ **Come here, you little fucker!** ”

He had finally managed to seize the feisty creature and pulled it out from its hiding place. Still on his knees, he grabbed it with his other hand to prevent dropping the hissing and meowing ball of fur he caught. It occurred to him this wasn’t a monster, but an actual surface animal. It had a long tail that was now twitching angrily because of the creature’s current predicament and three clawed legs that were trying to do any damage to Edge’s hard bones. It was also furiously biting his thumb, to no avail.

As far as the skeleton knew, most of the surface animals had an even number of limbs. He switched his grip on the creature to check whether he didn’t hold it properly to notice the last one, but there was only a fur covered stump in the place of its right front leg. Despite its clear losing position, the ball of fur and fury still tried to fight him, though it was beginning to look tired.

Edge wasn’t quite sure what to do with the animal he caught. If it was a smaller monster, he planned to check whether it was injured and, if that was the case, dump it on the closest monster hospital’s doorstep. It still was ‘kill or be killed’ in his mind, but he couldn’t stop feeling responsible for his kin’s safety, even when he wasn’t a part of the Royal Guard anymore. But this…?

He stood up, still holding the creature in both of his hands. Edge’s sleeves were rolled up too high for the claws to reach and any squirming, biting and scratching didn’t do shit against the bone. It even didn’t act so feisty anymore, gnawing on the white phalanges just for the sake of it. The skeleton didn’t know where the closest place for such animals was in Ebott and with both of his hands occupied, he wasn’t able to text you or call Papyrus to check that. Besides… it was the middle of the night already, as he left your apartment well past midnight. He shouldn’t be bothering his brothers or you with something this silly.

For now, he decided to keep holding the animal and resume his walk home. A while passed and it got so tired it just stopped fighting with its captor altogether and switched to miserable squealing from time to time. It was the same sound that attracted Edge’s attention in the first place and it sounded really pitiful and weak. After a quick moment of thought, the skeleton unzipped his hoodie and stuffed the animal inside it, making sure it wouldn’t be able to crawl under his shirt and into his ribcage - that would be a horrible turn of events.

Fortunately, it was too exhausted from fighting and calling for help to do that, so it just curled up in its new prison. Edge had a feeling that the creature liked it there. Maybe skeletons weren’t the warmest monsters, but they weren’t exactly cold-bodied, and with a really chilly evening, staying inside the monster’s hoodie was a better option for the animal. It was a silly thought, but after everything the skeleton did that day, this wasn’t the weirdest one.

As he got closer to home, Edge realized there already was an animal in the skeletons’ household. He wasn’t sure how the stupid mutt would react to another furry creature, but he remembered how the other two skeletons had complained repeatedly that Rock chases squirrels on his more active days. He was fairly certain he didn’t catch a squirrel, but it still was small enough for the dumb dog to mistake it for its usual prey.

He entered the house with caution then, ready to fight off the mutt if it gets too interested with Edge’s hoodie, but there was no need. The dog’s bed was empty though and there was no leash in its usual place in the hallway, which meant somebody took Rock for a walk in the middle of the night. Edge knew that his brother was working late today and Papyrus was probably fast asleep since later this evening, so there was only one possibility. The lazy skeleton preferred walking his stupid dog at night for some reason anyway.

As the coast was clear, Edge decided to unzip his hoodie again and pull out the sleepy creature he had caught. He noticed its fur was dirty and sticky and smelled like a dumpster - which wasn’t especially surprising. The skeleton managed to get rid of his shoes and dumped his hoodie in the laundry room while simultaneously holding the animal in one of his hands. The creature woke up because of this manhandling and was squirming in his grip again, but this time without trying to bite his phalanges off. Not for long though.

“ **Yes, yes...** ”, he muttered to the animal as it was gnawing on his fingers again when he was trying to wash its dirty fur in the bathroom sink filled with warm water. “ **You’re so fierce. So angry. I’m in so much pain.** ”

He took his time with that, making sure to wash everything away so the animal wouldn’t need to suffer through this horrible ordeal again. After a while it stopped fighting but still didn’t seem to be happy with the forceful grooming Edge was exposing it to. It squealed with disgruntlement a few times and the big skeleton answered to that in his own way while leaning over the sink and looking for any sticky parts of the fur that he had missed.

When all the dirt disappeared and the creature’s fur got dried with a small towel to some extent, Edge observed that it was whiter than his bones. There were no injuries as far as the skeleton noticed, so it was a relief to know it would be easier to deal with. It still had some strength to squeal at him, but it was already very quiet and there was no more biting. The skeleton guessed it must have been both tired and hungry - he doubted there was anything edible for the creature in the trash can - so he took it with him downstairs, to the kitchen. At this point, Edge noticed he had been talking to the animal like an idiot, so he stopped immediately, not wanting to be heard by the other housemates.

The moment he was arching his back to look inside the small fridge, he heard the front door open and close. A sound of four paws scraping on the floor announced that the dog had returned from the walk, but fortunately, the dirty mutt decided to lie down in its bed almost immediately. Edge let out a silent sigh and looked at the white ball of tired fur in his left hand. He still wasn’t sure how the dog would react to this creature, but at the same time, he didn’t feel comfortable with leaving it alone in his room.

The tall skeleton went back to scouring the fridge with his free hand in the search for something that might be edible for the animal he was still holding. He had to grab a bottle of his brother’s favorite mustard in his hand because it was obscuring his view when he heard a barely audible shuffle behind him. He turned around only to see the lazy skeleton standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a clearly puzzled expression on his face.

“uh… heya, edge.”, he began in a cautious tone. His eye lights lowered to look at the furry creature in Edge’s grasp. “what is this?”

The tall skeleton straightened himself and looked at the animal briefly. “ **I believe this creature is called a cat.** ”, he responded in a flat tone.

“are you… gonna... eat it…?”, Sans’ smile was a little tense around the corners of his everlasting grin.

Edge didn’t answer right away and an awkward silence fell between them. The creature used this moment to squeal quietly and remind about its presence.

“ **Yes, Sans. I’m going to eat it. I just needed some mustard**.”, Edge deadpanned in response while waving with the bottle at the smaller skeleton.

Seems like one evening with weird humans was enough for him to surprise the lazybones with a snarky comment, as Sans’ eye lights disappeared right after those words. To hide his amused smirk, the tall skeleton quickly went back to searching through the fridge. He was sure there was some fish from yesterday’s dinner in the back and he remembered cats liked it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this chapter too long for you? It's really long in my doc and I wasn't sure whether I overdid it or not.  
>   
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i)[ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405137656/littleblue5mcdork-pushes-more-art-across-the)[ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405059866/littleblue5mcdork-slowly-pushes-art-across-the)[ 4](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314667921/littleblue5mcdork-tada-finally-got-a-decent)[ 5](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314371436/littleblue5mcdork-okay-okay-so-far-so-good)[ 6](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314313271/littleblue5mcdork-and-omg-i-what-happened) by littleblue5mcdork  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah  
> [ by doodleinks](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167369414921/doodleinks-doodleinks-blblbl-thunderstruck)
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	21. A Gentle Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge gets responsible, becomes a part of an art process and tames a whimsun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I managed to finish one last chapter before 2018! I'm so proud of myself for that, especially when it's over 20 chapters already and boy, that is a journey that I wish will last forever.
> 
> I want to thank you all for your continuous support, for all the comments, kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks and all the fantastic fun we have on the blog. Everything you do brings me joy every day and I often go back to all of those whenever I need to help my mood get better. You're all precious, my beautiful Readers and I hope you'll continue our journey with Edge in the next year.
> 
> I want to thank a few people in particular:  
> \- my sis for beta reading my letter mumbo-jumbo and ensuring the highest quality of the fic that is up to Papyrus' standards  
> \- B for helping me explore the two sad beans more  
> \- Smitten / Plane parent, who keeps my characterization of Edge and Red on toes with their asks
> 
> Thank you and have a Happy New Year everybody!

The cat kept Edge up half of the night. Not because she was loud or rowdy - the creature fell asleep on the skeleton’s pillow almost the second he put her there. The mere presence of the animal was a problem to be solved. Edge wanted to learn as much as he could about the creature he had captured, so he spent a few hours searching the internet for any information. Fortunately, humans were absolutely crazy about cats, so there was no real trouble with finding anything. The issue was to filter all the stuff he found and choose what was actually helpful or useful. When he finally went to sleep, he knew much more, but it was already close to dawn.

In the morning he learned that indeed ‘ _everybody poops_ ’ when it comes to the Surface creatures and his captive disregarded the newspaper Edge left on the floor for that particular purpose. The skeleton was unhappy with this discovery and his sour morning mood didn’t get better because of that. He couldn’t blame the animal though - as far as he understood how Surface creatures worked, only select few actually understood spoken language to some extent, and the cat he caught wasn’t in that group. It didn’t stop Edge from lecturing the small ball of fur for her nasty offense with a stern tone. The cat ended up licking the finger he accusingly pointed at her, so the skeleton relented. There was no use in doing it now. The deed was done.

Despite being tired and still sleepy, Edge left his room right away and took the cat with him as soon as he cleaned the floor up. He disregarded a whiny squealing this time, as he was sure the creature would survive without eating a breakfast. There were more pressing matters to attend to. Like finding actual cat food for it or talking about the animal with somebody...

“ **Papyrus?** ”, Edge peeked inside the kitchen, certain he heard his tall brother there. He was always the first to be up, no matter what day.

“GOOD MORNING, EDGE!”, his counterpart greeted him with a cheerful tone while still focusing on making some scrambled eggs. “YOU’RE UP EARLY. ARE YOU WORKING TODAY?”

The scarred skeleton looked at the ball of fur he was holding and hesitated. He didn’t actually have any intention of keeping the animal, not with the dog being already a pet in this house. At the same time... he didn’t really feel like tossing her out into the cold either. It was quite chilly already and the winter was near, so it seemed heartless to take the animal in just for one night of food and safety, only to put her back in the unforgiving streets in the morning. Especially when her life was probably tougher because of the missing limb. The creature in his hand seemed to accept her fate and didn’t struggle as much as she did the day before. The cat still didn’t seem too happy about it either - slightly annoyed was probably the best way to describe her current mood. She matched Edge perfectly.

“ **No… I’m not. But I needed to talk to you.** ”, he began cautiously and looked around. Edge didn’t notice the dirty mutt anywhere near but ultimately decided against putting the cat on the floor.

Papyrus turned around curiously and almost immediately focused his eye lights on the animal. The other skeleton could swear his cheerful counterpart looked amused when he was looking at the small ball of fur.

“I SEE.”, he said with a smile and went back to preparing the meal. “I’M LISTENING, BROTHER.”

Edge cleared his proverbial throat and began absently scratching the creature in his hand. “ **I’ve found her trapped in a trash can yesterday. Seemed like somebody had fun harassing this helpless creature. I thought she was a whimsun. She does sound like one.** ”, he said, unwillingly calling the animal a 'her' already. He didn’t like how much it sounded like he was justifying his own actions but Papyrus’ presence often induced this kind of behavior in everybody.

“YOU WANT TO KEEP IT?”, the other skeleton turned to him, the smile still present on his face, though much warmer now.

“ **No!** ”, Edge snapped but he immediately lowered his voice when he felt it startled the creature in his hand. “ **It’s just... She has only three legs. I’m not sure what to do with her now… I assumed she was injured but everything seems to be fine.** ”, he added while looking at the cat.

Papyrus put his breakfast on his plate and sat at the table while motioning at the other skeleton to do the same. “THEN YOU CAN SET IT FREE WHERE YOU’VE FOUND IT, RIGHT?”

Edge looked at the animal as he sat down. She began immediately wriggling a little in his grasp and even squealed a few times, but there was no attempt to bite or scratch him. She was just uncomfortable in this position so Edge adjusted his hands to let her somehow sit on his bony lap. That seemed to calm the cat down for the time being.

“ **I don’t think that’s a good idea too.** ”, he admitted reluctantly while staring at the small creature. She looked so vulnerable in his big scarred hands. So small and fragile. Yet somehow, he didn’t manage to hurt her in any way - he was pleased with himself for that.

“YOU DON’T WANT TO KEEP IT, BUT YOU WANT TO TAKE CARE OF IT?”, Papyrus raised his brow bone while looking at him in that knowing way.

“ **Something like that.** ”, Edge answered while scratching the kitten under her chin and avoiding his brother’s gaze. “ **At least until I find any other option. Maybe somebody will eventually take her in? Or I will just let her stay for winter. But it’s your house… and you already have a big dog. I’m not sure it-** ”

“AS LONG AS YOU TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR _HER,_ I DON’T SEE A PROBLEM.”, the other skeleton didn't let him finish the sentence or even actually ask for permission. After that, he just started eating as if the conversation was about the weather, not about having another pet and another problem in everybody’s life.

“ **Are you sure?** ”, Edge frowned a little, quite surprised how quickly his new brother agreed to that. “ **I’ve read that cats and dogs have trouble getting along…** ”

There was more he could say about this, more arguments against yet another creature living in their odd household but his voice trailed off. He already knew that Papyrus had reached his decision the moment he saw the animal in Edge's hands - there was this familiar glint in that skeleton's eye sockets he recognized.

“ROCK IS SANS’ PET, SO YOU TWO WOULD HAVE TO WORK ON THAT.”, there was a wider and more satisfied smile on Papyrus’ face.

The cat squealed again, this time a little louder than before and that attracted Edge’s attention. The creature was staring right at him with her big blue eyes and something told him that the Surface animals didn’t care about heritage. They ultimately didn't know the difference, so both humans and monsters were equal in their eyes, right? And now, Edge was somebody who gave her food and shelter. After thoroughly scaring the shit out of the creature in the first place, but still...

“ **Fine… I’ll talk to him.** ”, he let out a sigh, succumbing to the fluffy's animal gaze and agreeing to whatever Papyrus' plan was.

The cheerful skeleton grinned at him. “SPLENDID.”

Edge sat with him during his meal, staring quietly at the creature sitting on his lap and scratching the soft white fur carefully. It felt somewhat weird in a good way - to pet her and do nothing else. When after a short while the cat stopped struggling and begrudgingly allowed him to do just that. Maybe that’s why his brother liked that dumb dog? Though he was fairly certain that Rock didn’t purr when he was content.

He didn’t disturb Papyrus’ breakfast anymore and waited until he finished to ask another question that had been on his mind ever since he gave up his hope to join your band. He found out it was good for him to have something to do after work during those last few weeks and he somewhat missed it now - after all he wasn’t welcome on your rehearsals anymore. Edge needed something to occupy his mind and body, especially when now you and your friends had less time to do anything except for practicing your songs. The Halloween concert was just around the corner and Damien insisted on doubling the efforts to be 100% ready for it.

The other skeleton knew Edge well enough to recognize his behavior, so when Papyrus finished his meal, he didn’t stand up to take care of the dishes or to get ready for work right away. He waited for a while for Edge to say anything. It was always very puzzling to the aggressive skeleton – how somebody with so much energy and enthusiasm could be so patient at the same time. Yet another impossible thing his counterpart managed to do without breaking a sweat, so it seems.

“ **I've heard Undyne is out of town for the next few weeks.** ”, Edge chose his words carefully, still not quite sure if his idea was a good one. It all could backfire spectacularly after all. Or he would just hear a simple ' _no_ '.

Papyrus cocked his head a little and laced his long phalanges while placing his hands on the table in a practiced manner. “INDEED. SHE, ALPHYS AND MISS TORIEL TAKE PART IN A SCIENCE CONFERENTION IN EUROPE REGARDING THE USE OF MONSTER MAGIC IN HUMAN HEALTHCARE. MAYBE THIS TIME SOMETHING WILL MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.”

The other skeleton nodded a few times. There was still much to be done towards monster-human relations that would make everything acceptable to both parties. Most basic rights and laws were already in place, but any topic regarding actual use of magic was an extremely touchy subject and needed a lot of work to be finally resolved in any way. Papyrus was doing his part in the Embassy, but at the same time, humans needed something more than diplomatic blubbering and political promises. Something more tangible, more scientific, like actual measurable evidence that monster magic could be as useful as harmless for everybody. It was a difficult and complicated matter, especially with the way humans usually tend to use their own technological advances for pure profit while disregarding everything else.

He had heard that both Alphys and the former Queen were working on introducing monster magic, especially the green and yellow one, into the more complicated procedures and treatments to give the patients a better chance to survive them. If any important figure on the conference would agree to test the magic in an actual medical procedure, everything could work out for the best. Seems like everybody around Edge was doing something important that could influence the monsters future. Except for him.

Edge broke the silence with his voice. “ **Do you need a sparring partner for your training then?”** , he blurted out before he changed his mind or thought better of it.

The silence that fell immediately after his question made him regret it already. He felt his magic creeping onto his cheekbones and averted his gaze in embarrassment. Of course, it was a _stupid_ idea. Papyrus had a lot of other things to attend to, more worthy of his time. Why would he even consider wasting it on somebody like him? Especially when he couldn't ask for help with training in a straightforward manner, like an adult. Besides... It's not like Edge could actually pose a threat to Papyrus when it came to fighting. He still remembered painfully well how their last and only encounter ended.

”I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT, BROTHER.”, Papyrus said loud and clear, snapping his brother out of yet another train of grim thoughts.

Edge looked at him with surprise and met his counterpart’s gentle gaze. It made him look away again, but for a different reason.

„ **Alright. Good,** ” he said after clearing his proverbial throat. „ **That's... all I wanted to ask.** ”

He quickly stood up, ready to get out of the awkward situation he stupidly put himself into, but Papyrus' voice stopped him before he managed to turn towards the door.

„EDGE.”, he spoke in an even tone while gathering the dishes from the table. „IF YOU'RE GOING TO BUY SUPPLIES FOR YOUR NEW… WARD… MAY I SUGGEST „ _THE JELLYFISH_ ”? THEY HAVE MAINLY AQUARIUM APPLIANCES AND FISH, BUT WE BUY THERE QUITE OFTEN AND THE STAFF IS REALLY FRIENDLY. AND COMPETENT.”

He almost forgot about that. Not about actually buying stuff to accommodate the cat – he planned to do that on that unlikely occasion Papyrus actually agreed to keep a new animal under his roof. Unfortunately, going shopping required meeting with people, mostly humans. Despite all this time on the Surface, not every human accepted the monsters in their society. It was useful to know where his kind was at least tolerated if being welcome was too much to ask.

„ **Understood.** ”, Edge nodded curtly, though he was really grateful for that little piece of information.

Papyrus smiled at him. „HAVE A NICE DAY THEN, BROTHER.”

* * *

That was about half an hour ago. During this time Edge managed to get dressed, leave the house and reach the correct shop where he spent almost ten minutes just staring like an utter idiot at the shelf filled with pet supplies. He knew which things were a must for the animal, for now, so he thought he would be in and out in no time, but he forgot to consider one thing – the brands. Despite the shop being not that big and mostly aimed at aquatic animals enthusiasts, there still was a lot of supplies for more furry pets.

Edge was at a loss when deciding what would be healthy for the fluffy creature that was currently curled up under his hoodie again. He had read a lot of blogs about caring for cats last night and many of them dissuaded using certain brands because of their harmfulness. But there were some he never heard of until now, staring at him right from the shelf! How the fuck was he supposed to choose something correctly? He didn't want to hurt the cat with something so stupid like incorrectly chosen food or cat litter.

”Um... excuse me, sir...?”, one of the employees peeked from around the shelf. “Do you need help, maybe?”

Edge got startled a little by the human's sudden attention. „ **No!** ”, he barked, making the woman flinch because of that.

„Oh... Ok. I'll be here if you need any assistance, sir.”, she took a step back, a disgruntled grimace clear on her face.

He knew the staff was staring at him ever since he had entered the shop, but up until now, nobody dared to approach him. The skeleton wasn't sure whether they were too intimidated to talk to him from the beginning or Papyrus was actually wrong about the humans that were working here. Maybe they wanted him to stop scaring the other customers and leave? It wouldn't be the first time in his life.

He stopped scowling at the employee. „ **I'll be out in a minute.** ”, the skeleton said in a much lower tone.

The human was about to disappear behind the shelf and go back to her own duties, but a sudden squeak coming from the skeleton's hoodie made her stop mid-step. The distressed sound repeated a few times and a certain part of Edge's clothing started moving when the animal began looking for an exit from her napping place.

„ **What now...?** ”, the monster ignored the incredulous way the human was looking at him right now and unzipped his hoodie halfway to look at the cat. „ **What do you want, you little fucker?** ”, he said to the creature. The animal was around for less than a day, but he had already noticed that she got calmer when he was saying... anything. No matter what words he used, it worked, even now. She responded with yet another unhappy meow while carefully pawing her way out of the black folds.

Guessing that the creature had enough of napping, Edge grabbed her gently and pulled her out of his hoodie. He didn't anticipate a delighted squeal from the human employee, so he pressed the cat closer to him in a slightly protective manner and glared at the loud woman.

„ _Oh my gosh_!”, for some reason, she immediately walked up closer to him, almost as if the mere presence of the fluffy ball of complaints made the big and intimidating skeleton more approachable. The human's attention was now focused on the cat and nothing else. „Awww... it's so cute!”, she cooed.

„ **No, she's not. She's nothing but trouble.** ”, Edge grumbled, not entirely sure how to react to something like this. „ **You heard me. A lot of trouble, ever since the fucking morning.** ”, he addressed the cat while glaring into the big blue eyes and pointing at her with his bony finger.

Of course, his chiding tone didn't faze the cat at all as she tried to grab his phalanges with her only paw. The only reaction Edge got was another high pitched squeal from the woman that was still standing next to him. For some reason, this reaction reminded him of Cindy and her overly enthusiastic vocalization. Right, he almost forgot about that. He had yet another problem to tackle in the very near future.

„I'm guessing, sir, that you're doing shopping for this _adorable little lady_?”, the employee reached towards the cat to scratch her on the head. Edge didn't appreciate this blatant invasion on his personal space but instead of taking a step back or yelling at her for this, he sucked it up to observe how the human was petting the small creature. For future reference.

„ **Indeed. Why else would I be in this _stupid_ place, human?** ”, he growled at the human after a few seconds. She finally noticed that she was horribly overstepping her bounds and backed away a little.

That comment finally snapped the employee out of the brainless adoration for the small kitten in his hands and reminded her of her duties. After the first (not so good) impression, the human woman turned out to be pretty competent when it came to various brands of cat food, litter, and other supplies, like toys. She helped Edge choose everything that was best for a small and young kitten he acquired the previous night. His hostility dissipated slowly during the long interaction with the human, especially when she opened a few small packets of various cat food for the creature to give it a try – the skeleton had read that cats tend to be fussy when it comes to that and it was a tremendous help in choosing something that would be to this little devil’s liking.

He spent a lot of time in the shop, totally occupied with listening to the employee's explanations about various health issues that cats are prone to and intently remembering some details that may come in handy in handling the small animal. The whole shopping expedition took much longer than he had primarily anticipated but turned out to be quite fruitful.

Edge left „The Jellyfish” with a handful of bags and a quite contently fed little cat. He even bothered to remember the employee's name he saw on her badge.

* * *

„And what did Annie say about that?”, you asked after finishing your tea in one quick gulp.

Edge frowned at this. „ **What does** ** _he_** **have to do with it?** ”

It has been a few days since the cat entered his life – or more correctly since Edge kidnapped the animal from her natural habitat between the trash cans and brought her home. The whole situation was still difficult for him to handle, both with the constant need to keep his new ward away from the stupid mutt that took particular interest in walking behind him every time the cat was perched on his shoulder and with dealing with a new set of responsibilities. Fortunately, the latter was easier than he initially thought. Especially when that fucking lazybones wasn't at all invested in helping him with the former.

„Dunno... you asked Papyrus, you talked to Sans... it's not like you could hide a new pet from him.”, you shrugged with a lazy smile and stood up taking your empty mug with you to the kitchen.

„ **I don't need his permission. It's not** ** _his_** **house.** ”, the skeleton grumbled. „ **But he seemed... oddly happy with that.** ”

He had his suspicions why his brother reacted like that – with a calm smile and no bitchy remarks he was so sure to hear. Edge used to collect wounded or starving whimsuns and froggits when he was little, unable to indifferently walk by a suffering creature. He had a soft soul back then, ready to aid anybody in need, especially when they were helpless and defenseless. He was so stupid and naive. Perhaps Sans seemed happy with a mere idea this wide-eyed and kind babybones is still hidden somewhere deep in the taller skeleton's soul. Even when Edge thought that this was bullshit, he preferred that his brother thought something like that about him.

He was currently spending time at your loft. It was already late, as you needed to go to yet another rehearsal during the day and Edge was working until evening, but you really insisted on spending some more time with the skeleton. While looking at your tired face, he wondered whether you still felt guilty about the bruises that Damien had noticed and tried to make amends by finding as much time for him as possible. It was your decision and he wasn't going to tell you what to do, but still... he hoped you weren't pushing yourself for him.

He wanted to come to see you too. After all, he missed your crazy shenanigans. Everything about you made him feel more welcome in the human community than he thought was ever possible. Even when you riled him up with your mocking and silly ideas, he noticed he was having more fun than was actually irritated. There were moments when he almost forgot about that dormant anger that was always at the bottom of his soul.

Besides, there was a certain date with a certain human he wanted to talk to you about. You knew Cindy far better than he did and he hoped to get some useful information from you.

„So, what's the cat's name?”, you asked louder so he could hear you despite the distance.

„ **There's _no_ name.** ”, he spat and walked with his own empty mug to the kitchen too. „ **I told you already. She'll stay with me only for a short period.** ”

„Have you actually _looked_ for anybody to adopt her?”, you quirked your brow.

Edge looked at the mug in his hand and huffed. „ **... not yet.** ”

You put the clean mug on the drying rack and turned to him with a big stupid grin on your face. „Oh.”

„ **And what's _that_ supposed to mean?!** ”, Edge growled angrily and pushed you away from the sink to take care of his mug too.

„ _Nothing~._ ”, you said in a sing-song voice and leaned on the counter. „On a scale from Sans to Papyrus, how much you wanna paint with me today?”

The skeleton glanced at you a few times while swiftly washing the mug and placing it neatly next to yours. He was a little surprised you had any energy to do something more than watching a movie and annoying the hell out of him, yet here you were. Was it that important to you?

„ **What's with you and that painting? You did that already, on smaller canvas.** ”, he frowned a little and pointed his long finger at you. „ **And I'm not going to pose for you, so don't even bother to ask for the fifth time.** ”

„I know, _I know_. That's Ed's job.”, you said with a tired grin. „It's on my List of Buckets.”

„ **Really...?** ”, he asked in an incredulous tone. It's not like he didn't believe you, but at the same time, he didn't know what was really on your list unless you actually told him.

„Yep. Come on. It will be _fun_.”, you insisted. He didn't say 'no' to your silly idea, so you correctly assumed you could whine about it a little more. „We'll finish something really big and cover ourselves in paint. I'm gonna hang it on the wall here. There's too much empty space.”

You walked to the living room and waved your hand at the wall that was visible from the kitchen door. It was indeed bare, with only one small clock hanging close to the ceiling. It could use something more, Edge agreed in his mind, though why it had to be something like that, he had no clue.

„ **Fine.** ”, he rolled eye lights while stopping next to the couch to take off his hoodie. The black garment had still stray white hair on it, despite many attempts to clean it. Edge was already making peace with the fact that he would never get rid of them from all of his black clothes.

Despite your tiredness you almost bounced to the art studio, babbling happily about the colors of paint you had acquired and the canvas that was already lying on the floor (and covering the half of it).

He was about to enter the room after you but stopped in the doorway. „ **Wait... No. I can't.** ”, Edge mumbled when he remembered something.

„Oh... why? Something came up?”, you stick your head from behind the boxes, two brushes already in your hands.

„ **No. I don't want to ruin this.** ”, he pointed at his shirt. He had the favorite one on him today, the one his brother gave him two years ago. The skeleton really didn’t find the idea of staining it with paint that appealing. And painting without the shirt was out of the question. He wasn't worried about his trousers though, those were actually the ones he usually wore to work and they were still in an acceptable condition after all that.

You looked at it him with a curious gaze. He already knew you well enough to be sure you wouldn't make fun of him for being sentimental over a piece of old fabric but he still felt a tad self-conscious when you were eyeing the ‘Bad to the Bone’ shirt he got from Sans.

You cocked your head a little. „I can give you a spare shirt then, hm? I have some bigger shirts somewhere. I use them as pajamas.”

Edge vaguely remembered he did put away some boxes filled with clothes when he was cleaning your place. They were way too big for you to wear and he never actually saw you in them. If that's what you meant right now, the idea seemed like an acceptable solution for this particular problem.

„ **That sounds reasonable enough.** ”, he agreed.

You scurried out of the art studio while saying, „Alright, be right back. Don't go anywhere!”

He huffed with amusement and shook his head a little. The skeleton remained in the room and looked around, curious about what you were doing here lately. It's been a while since he had a chance to be in your studio, so he used your absence to search for something new you could have created during that time. To his disappointment, except for the empty big material that was stretched on the floor with its corners pinned down with paint buckets, there was nothing different. It seemed like you really didn't have time for anything else now. Too bad.

His gaze finally landed on your List of Buckets that was still stuck on the wall right next to your desk. The skeleton hesitated but ultimately decided it was time to learn what's on your stupid list and what you were planning to do. Perhaps he could aid you in fulfilling some of your other wishes, even if it was something entirely new for him. There was, of course, one big problem – the language. But he wasn't the Captain of the Royal Guard for nothing.

He used the fact that you were still busy searching through the boxes – he still heard you dig in them for a suitable shirt – and pulled out his phone to take photos of the list. He could use them later to translate your weird language with the help of all those internet dictionaries. While making sure every part of the list got photographed, he had noticed there was something written at the very bottom of the piece of paper. He needed to move the desk a little to free the end of the list as it was pinched to the wall with it’s top. There was one item written there, almost as if you were sure this was the last one you'll do and intended to keep it at the bottom, no matter how many new items you would bother to add.

Edge got really curious about that, but he heard you come back, so he had to postpone this for later. After making sure the list was pressed to the wall the way it was before, he hid his phone the second you entered the room. He acted like nothing had happened and looked at you.

„Here.”, you handed him a shirt with an amused glint in your eyes.

The skeleton accepted it and looked at you in an entirely unamused way. „ **It's pink.** ”

„Um... yeah? I mean... It's just a shirt, but I can get you a new one if ' _My Little Pony_ ' isn't your thing?”, you were having way too much fun with that. He recognized your shit-eating smile right away and was about to growl something about the garment he received but...

He was reluctant to do so. You were right - it _was_ just a shirt. He was supposed to use it and get it dirty instead of ruining his own clothes. He wasn't a captain anymore... or anybody respectable. Not here. He was allowed to wear stupid and undignifying things, especially around you. He had recently realized that he didn't really mind what he was doing or what he was wearing as long as it was just you around him - you wouldn't judge or make fun of him for something like that. You were the one who unabashedly wore weirder things than he could have ever think about and had done bizarre shit beyond his imagination.

Like actually trying to fit an anatomy prop into a fucking three-piece suit...

„ **No. It's...** ”, he began, but you seemingly took his longer silence for a contempt for the pink garment.

„I'll look for another one. One moment!”, you called and ran out of the room without waiting for him to finish his sentence.

„ **... fine.** ”, he let out a deep sigh.

Despite your declaration to find him some other shirt to wear, Edge decided to use the one he already got. It really had a big ass sugary-pink pony printed on it, but he ultimately didn't give a shit about that. He took off his own shirt, folding it neatly in four, and he felt the warm air from your loft on his bare bones while looking around to find a spot he could place it to avoid it getting stained.

It still was a little silly of him to get attached to something like that but... Sans was wearing the sweater he gave him almost every day now. The tall skeleton understood his brother a little better when he realized how similar they were. Despite having enough clothes for every day of the month now, they both were still holding onto those that were either worn down to a rag or looked like a shitty rag, to begin with. In the Underground, they rarely had anything new, and when that happened, they treated those things like treasures. Somehow, they always acquired those as a gift from another brother. None of them was comfortable with keeping something this expensive or high quality for themselves.

This thought consumed him so thoroughly he didn't notice you hurry back. He registered your footsteps but didn't pay them any mind until he felt there was something wrong. You were uncharacteristically silent, so he turned around to look at you.

You stood frozen in the doorway with a white sleeveless shirt in your clenched hands. Edge got to see how the rest of your smile disappeared as your eyes wandered on his naked ribcage. It took him a moment to understand what you were seeing. Scars. A few big and deep ones, and a lot of smaller cuts, scratches, bites, scuffs. Most of them were quite old, but some had only a few years. The moment your brows knit in deep worry Edge knew you noticed the biggest one. It was a remnant of a really powerful magic attack that left a deep mark across his sternum. The only scar he got from his brother.

The skeleton didn't like the expression you had right now. He felt embarrassed because of your gaze. You saw his arms and skull already, you knew he had scars, but it was the first time he took his shirt off in front of you and he felt so wrong right now. Out of place. It reminded him how much he didn't fit in this world and the Surface.

„ **Have you gawked enough already, human?** ”, he barked at you aggressively while fighting the urge to hastily cover himself with his hands or the pink shirt he left on the chair.

You immediately looked down at the shirt in your hands. „Uh… sorry. It’s just…”

He walked up to the chair and pulled the shirt over his head. „ **Whatever...** ”, he growled with annoyance while trying to fit his skull through the narrow collar. Edge regretted snapping at you like that as he knew you didn't do anything to deserve his reaction, but his temper got better of him.

There was a time he took pride in his numerous scars, especially when he was the Captain of the Royal Guard. All of them were a proof that the world had tried to kill him time and again, and yet he had still managed to win. Every single one of them meant he was better, more resilient and he didn't let anybody mess with him without consequences. Those were battle scars and they were all screaming „ _I am strong_ ” to anybody who dared to take a better look. But it was then.

Now... there was no need for him to show the world that he cannot be easily killed. It was the Surface where he and his brother were supposed to be safe and surrounded by supportive (or at least not deadly hostile) creatures. There was no fucking point in looking as intimidating as possible – the mere attempts to do so made their lives more difficult than it was the case back home. For most people here, all of his scars were an indication of how _damaged_ he was and how much shit he had to endure in his past. There was no pride in something like this. His scars were only a fucked up list of abuse and pain that was visible to the naked eye. As long as he was covering his body, nobody would see actually how many of them were there and how deep some of them ran. Edge hated to see that look in your eyes – the one that still was hard to read but it was painfully clear to him that he didn't want to see it ever again. Not in your eyes. Not when you were looking at him.

He made sure the pink shirt covered all of his ribs and most of the spine before turning back to grab his precious shirt. You were silent the whole time, keeping your head down and your gaze almost glued to the white fabric in your hands. Edge understood you were waiting for him to tell you he's covered, but he wasn't sure what to say. He still felt embarrassed and angry with himself.

You dared to look at him when he finally walked past you. He scowled when he noticed there was still the same worry and sadness in your eyes and he hastened his steps to reach the couch in the living room. He dropped his shirt there, figuring this place was less likely to be covered in paint, though he honestly didn't feel like painting right now.

He felt your gaze on his back, so he turned around. „ **What!?** ”, he growled at you despite his attempts to control his rage. It wasn't you who gave him all those scars, he shouldn't be behaving like that. „ **If you have a question, ask it, for fuck's sake! I see that you want to, human!** ”

Not minding his accusing and aggressive tone, you took a few steps towards him. „What happened to you?”, your voice was calm and very soft.

Edge stared at you for a longer while, slightly taken aback by this. While hearing this tone, most people just caved and left the touchy subject alone, but you... didn't. He did give you his permission to ask, but he was still surprised you actually decided to do that. You didn't move the whole time he was glaring at you, responding with your patient and worried gaze. The skeleton didn't find any pity in your eyes, but it still pissed him off. Mostly because it made his own resolve crumble like it was a castle made of sand and that feeling was driving him crazy.

He didn't want to talk about his past. He never wanted to tell anybody about what he had gone through to survive. Only his brother knew most of it but not all. There were things Edge kept secret, things that made his own soul quiver. He wanted to push you away with his anger and his words to stop you from asking, but... at the same time, he felt a need bubbling up in his soul. A need to scream it all out, because he knew you would listen. To yell as loud as possible about what fucked up life he had until his voice dies in his proverbial throat.

But that would have accomplished nothing. The scars wouldn't disappear, just like the damage in his soul. They were permanent and no amount of his yelling and your patience could ever change that.

Instead, he grit his teeth hard enough to feel a sharp pain of his fangs stabbing his own bone and looked away. „ **Too much.** ”, he said in a cold tone.

Just as those words rang in the air, he heard you walk towards him, your socks shuffling silently on the floor. You had abandoned the white shirt on the carnivorous sofa on your way to him. Edge braced for your touch and wasn't mistaken – your warm hand found its way to his humerus and gave it a gentle squeeze.

„Hey...”, your tone was really soft. If you weren't standing so close to him, he probably wouldn't hear you. He was almost sure you were going to call him a 'big guy' again, but that didn't happen.

Edge was aware of your untainted skin touching his ugly scarred bone and he suddenly felt fragile in your gentle grip. He tensed because of that and thought about moving away or even shoving you away from him. Something stopped him from doing that though and he just turned to bark at you. „ **WHAT!?** ”

The first thing he noticed was sadness still present in your eyes, but there was that odd smile on your lips that immediately attracted his attention. „I’m glad you’re here.”

The whole irritation and anger that had built up in him disappeared in a split second, leaving only numbness behind. He felt empty for a moment and his shoulders sagged. He acted like an asshole again.

His scowl relaxed slowly while the skeleton was still staring at your lips and your smile. „ **... you wanted to paint.** ”, he said finally, his voice a little hoarse from that last short yell.

Just as if all was forgiven, you jumped at the idea immediately and he slowly followed you to the art studio.

With a brush ready to go, you handed the second one to the skeleton and the painting had begun. The paint was thin and it dripped everywhere on the canvas, but you didn't seem to mind that. Actually, Edge was surprised it didn't get worse... until you went all out and dipped both of your hands in the paint buckets. From that point, the whole painting ordeal turned into paintmageddon in a matter of minutes.

Disregarding the big brushes that the skeleton was using to help you paint anything, you started leaving handprints on the white parts of the canvas and ended up kneeling in the paint to reach the parts that were further away. Shortly after that, you were using your whole body and you had paint on your... everything. Your face had colorful smears across the cheeks and there was a big blue dot on the top of your nose. The skeleton wasn't sure how the latter happened because you weren't using the blue paint yet. Ultimately, your crazy ass tried to make an 'angel'.

While lying in the paint, your hair got all sticky from all the colors that Edge had put there only a few minutes ago, but you didn't seem to notice that. You proceeded to wave your hands and legs to leave smeared marks of paint in the middle of the canvas. When you finally got tired of that silly exercise, you tried to pull the skeleton on the top of you when he was trying to help you stand. His balance was unwavering, so he only raised his brow bone at your pitiful attempt to topple him and let go of your hand. He left you lying in paint as a punishment for that blatant deception and returned to paint in the far corner of the canvas while ignoring your whining.

Despite his superficial contempt for your antics, it seemed liberating to paint without any brushes and any rules. He was reluctant to use his own hands in that process at first, mindful of what pain in the ass would it be to remove all the paint from between his phalanges. When he noticed that no matter how careful he is, there's still paint on him (thanks to you) he decided to give it a try anyway.

At some point, he even tackled you to the floor when you dared to leave a colorful handprint on the top of his skull while screaming „Wilson!” in your silly tone. His attack ultimately led to a whole bucket of blue paint being spilled in the top left corner of the canvas, but your only reaction was bursting into a fit of mad giggles. Edge found himself smiling again, both at your laughter that sounded really nice to him in this particular moment and at the mere thought about how crazy you both looked right now.

The painting was finally finished after about two hours and you seemed really proud of it. You left a signature handprint in the bottom right corner and without a second thought, Edge did the same with his own skeletal hand that was almost twice as big as yours. When he looked around, the room looked as if somebody murdered a bunch of magical ponies or some other shit in here. The paint ended up on the rest of the room's floor, on the walls and even on Ed – you didn't move him from his usual spot and now he had paint specks all over him. Edge didn't get a chance to offer his help in cleaning up this mess as you immediately insisted on taking care of it yourself. But not now.

„ **I wanted to talk to you. About Cindy and that** ** _stupid_** **date.** ” he mumbled as he heard you come back to the kitchen. He was leaning over your sink and trying to get rid of the paint with the hand brush you had provided.

Your head was covered with the towel you were using to dry your hair – you decided to take a quick shower to get rid of the outer layer of the paint that still hadn't dried up. There was a lot of it on you anyway, but it looked better.

„Oh, right.”, your voice was muffled a little. „You really don’t have to go on a date with her if she’s… that repulsive to you or something. It was just a silly game, you know?”

He huffed loudly but not at your words. The stupid paint was still stuck between his phalanges, no matter what he did. „ **I will go.** ”

„ _Seriously?_ ”, you sounded surprised. He didn't turn around but he heard that you finally took the towel off. „That’s… okay, that’s really nice of you.”

„ **I’m** **_not_ ****nice.** ”, he growled and looked over his shoulder at you. „ **I just don’t back away from challenge. Or don’t break a given word.** ”

You were still trying to dry the hair on the back of your head with the fluffy towel. When he met your gaze, your surprised expression immediately turned into a smile. „So what you wanna talk about then?”

He focused on scrubbing his left hand thoroughly while thinking about a right question to ask. The closer the day Cindy chose for their date got, the more aware Edge was of how very little he knew about that woman. Sure, there were some things had he learned during those few times he saw her on rehearsals and during that one evening at your place, but that was it. It wasn't enough to figure out a proper date, especially when he never actually went on one.

„ **What does she like the most? Are there some places she wanted to visit or something?** ”, he asked in a pensive tone while glaring at the last green speck of paint lodged between his wrist bones.

„Oh…”, you dead-panned at first but your voice immediately got louder and Edge recognized that mocking tone of yours. „Oh! You want to go _that_ far for her?”

Seemed like you had remembered the conversation you had with him right before the kitchen catastrophe his brother was cause of. He was serious back then, so he was serious right now and your meaningful tone flustered him a little. He didn’t really care about Cindy but at the same time… you were mocking him about something he didn’t feel confident about.

„ **For fuck’s sake human, can you answer those simple fucking questions?! I've told you I have standards when it comes to dating!** ”, Edge spat at you, hoping that the paint on his face will mask the subtle hint of magic on his cheekbones. He threw the hand brush into the sink, deciding there’s nothing he can do about the remnants of the paint on his hands.  “ **I wasn’t planning to half-ass it, but you’re not helping me with that attitude right now!** ”

„I just… thought you didn’t like her.”, you stated while shrugging and looking away.

He rolled his eye lights while reaching for a towel. “ **She’s annoying. But I** ** _don’t_** **dislike her.** ”

The skeleton felt your curious and amused gaze on him again, so he got ready for another silly remark that was aimed to piss him off.

“So you… _like_ her?”, you delivered.

“ ** _DID I FUCKING STUTTER?!_** ”, he threw the towel at you and it hit you straight in the face. You just chuckled.

“Nope, Edge-ucation, you didn’t.”, you took the towel off your face and threw it over your shoulder. “Alright… let me tell you what I know.”

* * *

 Edge was quite astounded to receive a text from Toby a few days later. It’s not like the small human didn’t write with him at all but it happened rarely and was usually started by the skeleton. Despite the Halloween concert being only a week away, Toby asked him whether he wanted to spend some of his free time on two more piano lessons.

The skeleton wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was the human stressed because of his upcoming performance and this was his way of unwinding? He didn’t seem like a person that liked crowds, so stage fright wasn’t at all impossible when it came to him. Or maybe he wanted to be done with the lessons before the concert? Getting some closure might do wonders when one was supposed to focus on something else. Something more important. Toby already knew the piece they had been practicing by heart and Edge doubted there was much more he could teach him when it came to that particular song. It saddened the monster that their little arrangement would soon come to an end.

Whatever the reason, they were now both sitting in front of the synthesizer in the abandoned building, focused mainly on the music. It was late and the rehearsal room was messy after the rest of the humans left - nobody had the strength to pick up the crumpled up paper with rejected last minute ideas or to put the stolen park bench back on its place next to the wall. Even the plastic bag your miserable lot was using as a trash bin was overflowing with empty energizer cans and chocolate bar wrappers as nobody had bothered to take it out.

It felt weird and out of place to even be here. Edge got used to the strange way the sound reverberated in this building but since the fight with Damien, this particular place got somewhat colder to him. The only moment he wasn’t feeling unwelcome here was when the boy right next to him was playing the piece he taught him. It was silly, the skeleton knew that, but it felt like he had managed to build a small bridge between his heritage and the human race - a piece of monster art offered to somebody who can appreciate and enjoy it. He even dared to think he was proud of Toby for learning this piece so fast and with such passion.

The more time Edge had spent with the small human, the more he felt he unjustly underestimated him from the very beginning. There were so many hidden depths to Toby he wished he saw earlier, so he wouldn’t waste his time for being an aggressive dick towards him. It still boggled him out of his mind why the drummer took his side and despite his timid demeanor, refused to break his given word.

“Maybe w…. we could play so-something else…?”, Toby’s shy voice interrupted the skeleton’s thoughts. “I m-mean… after the… the concert.”

Edge furrowed his brow bones and cocked his head a little to look at the boy. “ **Why…?** ”, he asked in an incredulous tone.

“W-well... “, the small human stopped playing altogether and put his slightly trembling hands on his lap. “I… I thought… I just… kinda… know this o-one.”

“ **So… you _still_ want to continue this?** ”, the skeleton leaned to the side while putting his elbow on his bony knee.

“Y-yeah? Why n-not?”, Toby glanced at him for a second. “If… If you want to… or… or I can… m-maybe… teach you in-instead? You... “, his voice trailed off for a while but Edge was pleased to see that the small human didn’t need much time to collect himself. “... I di-didn’t pay you… an-anything.. for… for all of this.”

“ **You have shown me how your device works instead. It was supposed to be a barter, wasn’t it?** ”, the skeleton said.

“Y-yes… you… you’re right…”, Toby lowered his head and went quiet.

Edge noticed he had said something wrong. He squinted his eye sockets and let out a deep sigh.

“ **Actually… It was more of a hostage situation if I recall correctly.** ”, he smirked a little, not entirely sure his joke was going to work, but then he remembered how this arrangement really started and his smile disappeared completely, replaced with an unhappy scowl. “ **You didn’t have to stay quiet. Damien is your friend and I… you know that I wouldn’t kill you, right?** ”

The small human was clearly surprised with that sudden change of the topic and jerked his head up to look at Edge. He wasn’t as scared of him as before, which filled the skeleton’s soul with a bit of warmth. He did try to tone his voice down a bit and was cautious to move slower when around Toby, so it was good to see it worked.

“Uh… w-well. I k-kinda knew…?”, the drummer spoke softly and looked down at his tangled hands again. “B-but it seemed important to y-you. So… sorry it ba-backfired…”

Edge shook his head and leaned back before waving his hand dismissively. “ **You only did what I told you to. That’s on me.** ”, he huffed while looking away.

“We… we can j-just tell him then…”, there was a hint of hope in the boy’s tone.

The skeleton didn’t look at him when those words and their meaning rang in the air between them, echoing in the room. He still had a hard time believing that this timid creature was feeling comfortable enough to meet with him alone in an abandoned building for lessons. Maybe Toby was right? Maybe explaining everything would fix what Damien thought about the monster? Edge didn’t want to feel that stupid hope again, only for it to be crushed when yet another of his crimes comes out to light. And there was also another matter that had occupied the skeletons mind since that day.

“ **Drum boy… do you feel safe with me?** ”. he looked at Toby attentively and met his wide-eyed gaze. Edge changed his mind immediately when he understood how unfair this question was. “ **No. _Don’t_ answer that.** ”

He watched how the drummer hunched his shoulders a little and lowered his head again, hiding his eyes behind his messy bangs. He obediently didn’t answer, though something told Edge he wanted to. Damien’s words still rang loud and clear in his skull and asking something like this was so fucking selfish. He was still perceived as a danger to his human friends and probably nothing would change this fact, so why bother to even have hope to hear ‘yes’? He didn't want to force Toby to lie about that either.

The skeleton let out a deep sigh. “ ** _Where_ do you feel safe?** ”, he asked instead.

“Um… w-well…”, the small human rubbed absently his hands while staring at them. He didn’t look so eager to answer this time and Edge kicked himself mentally for even bringing this topic up. ”T-there is one p-place…“

Edge learned to be more patient around Toby while he was trying to speak his mind. Yelling at him and pressuring him to be faster worked too... but the mere thought of making him this uncomfortable was now repulsive to the skeleton. He still remembered how he had yelled at him for offering help and the shame he felt because of that was a good motivation to keep his temper in check. He did scowl angrily at his words this time though. Fortunately, the boy kept his head low.

But good fucking stars, he said there’s _one_ place? Just _one_? Here? On the fucking Surface? This whole world was entirely foreign to Edge, but he could name _at least_ a few places where he himself felt relatively safe. The skeleton’s house with Papyrus in it was the first that came to his mind, Sans’ bed was a close second - though he would never admit it out loud, he used to sneak into his brother’s room when he was out at the very beginning of their life on the Surface. His mind suggested also your squishy arms during the storm, but he pushed that thought aside, trying to focus on the small human.

It took Toby a while to collect his thoughts, but he finally started talking. “In… o-our basement. The-there’s a b-big war-wardrobe, f-full of old sh-sheets and… and c-clothes my g-grandp-pa left.”, his voice got even softer and the skeleton had to lean closer to hear him. “T-they still s-smell li… like his old c-cologne… I…”, the human’s ears suddenly got red, but he didn’t stop there.”I l-like to go in t-there… s-sometimes… wh-when…"

When his voice trailed off, Edge nodded slowly, perfectly aware what the drummer meant and he didn’t ask him for more. A tense silence fell between them and the skeleton felt a need to say something.

“ **I used to hide in the cupboard under the sink. Well… as long as I _fit_ in there. I started growing fast when I was about eleven.**”, he muttered in a flat tone. It was odd to feel connected to somebody like Toby, yet here it was.

The human met his empty gaze with his big and worried eyes but that didn’t faze Edge at all. Toby’s look was different from yours because he knew. He felt it on his own skin. “W-what did you do t-then…?”

“ **Got my ass kicked on numerous occasions. I had to learn to deal with things differently.** ”, he looked at his scarred hand and clenched it tightly. “ **Sometimes I wish the cupboard was a little bigger then…** ”

Edge often wondered what would happen if he was as small as Sans. If it wasn’t for his height, he could have had more time to feel safer in their world. Maybe there would be fewer scars on him now. And maybe… just maybe… his brother wouldn’t be this anxious mess.

“W-well…”, the skeleton heard there was a smile in the drummer's voice, so he looked at him with a surprised frown. “... t-there’s still plenty r-room in… in my war-wardrobe… if you… um…”

It took Edge a moment to understand that the small human was joking. He wasn’t saying this to mock the skeleton, it seemed pure and kind-hearted and that made his soul swell with that odd warmth. Toby just offered to share his safe place with him. Even if it was only to lighten the heavy mood they both got into, it felt so nice to hear something like that. The monster chuckled lowly and reached towards the boy’s head to ruffle his hair on impulse, just like you and Cindy did on numerous occasions. He always wondered how real human hair felt like - he still didn’t get a chance to touch yours. 

As his pointed fingers brushed the black mess on the top of Toby’s head, the human flinched and cowered away from Edge. It wasn’t wise to think that the drummer would ever feel comfortable with his touch, but he tried anyway. _Stupid_. “ **I… shouldn’t have done that. I won’t do it again.** ”, he blurted as he withdrew his bony hand.

Toby shook his head quickly. “N-no… it’s… it’s f-fine…”

“ **Are you sure?** ”, the skeleton frowned. He didn’t want him to agree to this silly whim because of the fear. “ **I’m not angry about that.** ”

“I… I know. It’s o-okay. You don’t… don’t have to ap… ap… you know…”, he mumbled and wrapped his arms around his frail body.

Edge nodded slowly and sat straight in his seat, not to loom over the scared human and to give him some space. He was painfully aware he overdid it this time but at least the drummer was much more resilient to his fuck ups than it previously seemed. This thought wasn’t helpful though and he scowled at himself while looking at his scarred hands. He was always taking his fingerless gloves off when playing with Toby, but he suddenly regretted that.

“Um… D-Damien is… is w-wrong about y-you.”, this statement took the skeleton by surprise.

He scoffed way too aggressively than he wanted to. “ **In which part? That I’m a dangerous monster asshole with no regard for human feelings?** ”, he spoke before thinking.

“W-well… I-I mean… No!”, the boy got immediately red and shook his head while stuttering. “I… it’s… t-this isn’t…”

“ **Easy there, drum boy.** ”, he said while forcing himself to smirk and added as he looked away. “ **I know what I am…** ” There was a long list of adjectives and swears he could use.

Toby didn’t seem to take this as a joke. His voice got more serious, though his hands clenched on the material of his pants told Edge that the human was getting really nervous. “I… I t-think that… that you d-don’t.”

“ **Oh, really?** ”, Edge turned to face the drummer while raising his brow bone.

“Y-you’re n...not d-dangerous…”, Toby mumbled as he shrunk under the skeleton’s gaze.

He stared at the small human in sheer disbelief, his eye sockets wide open. Edge was a walking and talking personification of danger. His whole life revolved around him being a threat. What the fuck was that little shit talking about?

Before he was able to utter anything, the boy continued. “I… I m-mean… you c-could be… b-but… but you choose n-not to…”

Edge frowned and immediately looked a the keys of the synthesizer. “ **It’s a matter of circumstances. I don’t need to be dangerous around you or your friends. You’re all fairly weak and harmless.** ”

“Isn’t… isn’t that h-how it sh-should work t-though?” The boy leaned a little towards him, almost as if trying to look him in the eye sockets again. “N-not for everyb-body… B-but… Isn’t it n-normal to b-be more dan-dangerous… when there’s n-need? N… not all p-people h-have th… their war-wardrobes to hide in…”

The skeleton froze in surprise when the truth in his words hit him.

“S-sometimes… one… one can f-forget that… t-there’s n-no need anym-more… R-right…?”, Toby finished his thought quietly.

He let out a loud huff. Damn this little weak human and his perceptive observations. He couldn’t deny that what Toby said seemed exactly what he felt… but a long time ago. He didn’t forget that he doesn’t need to be a threat. He just doesn’t know how to be anything but it. It sounded so simple when the drummer said that.

“ **Maybe…** ”, the skeleton admitted reluctantly.

He noticed with the corner of his eye socket that the boy’s small hand was reaching towards him. It hesitated halfway to the bony shoulder hidden under a thick leather jacket though and began slowly withdrawing.

“ **Unfortunately, I _don’t_ have hair to mess with, drum boy.** ”, Edge said with a gentle smile before the human finished his gesture. He looked at him just to see his face and ears turn immediately red again.

“I… I didn’t…”, the boy sputtered nervously.

The skeleton extended his hand towards Toby, the bony palm up, and waited for the human to move away or (he hoped) to touch it. This time, the drummer was brave enough to brush his fingers on one of the phalanges and then slowly placed his slightly sweaty palm on his scarred bones.

Edge was hit with a strange thought when he was staring at the small hand trustingly placed in his big and scarred one - he felt like he just successfully tamed a whimsun. The scaredy human finally decided to trust him a little and touch him - the big bad monster - and it was surprisingly rewarding for him to feel how the little trembling limb calmed down after a while. He tried to stay still for Toby’s sake the whole time.

“Y-your hands a-are huge…”, the drummer mused with amazement in his voice.

Edge smirked at this, still staring at the small fleshy hand that was touching his bones. “ **No. It’s** ** _yours_** **that are tiny, human.** ”, he responded jokingly and heard Toby chuckle softly.

This was the moment the skeleton had reached a decision. Toby was maybe acting like a pathetic wimp that got scared shitless by everything and those two years ago Edge wouldn’t even look twice in his direction. But things had changed and he felt that he had changed too. Weak or not, the monster sure as hell wouldn’t hesitate to face anybody who would even dare to lay a finger on the drum boy.

Toby was  _his_ whimsun now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely Readers - the date with Cindy will be the very next chapter (yep!) so I need you to decide what kind of date it will be.  
> Here's [the poll](http://www.strawpoll.me/14701572) in case you don't follow the blog (I posted it a few days ago when I started working on the next chapter in between writing this one)!  
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i)[ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405137656/littleblue5mcdork-pushes-more-art-across-the)[ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405059866/littleblue5mcdork-slowly-pushes-art-across-the)[ 4](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314667921/littleblue5mcdork-tada-finally-got-a-decent)[ 5](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314371436/littleblue5mcdork-okay-okay-so-far-so-good)[ 6](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314313271/littleblue5mcdork-and-omg-i-what-happened) by littleblue5mcdork  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah  
> [ by doodleinks](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167369414921/doodleinks-doodleinks-blblbl-thunderstruck)
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	22. Thunderstruck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let it be known that Edge has STANDARDS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience, my beautiful Readers! Also, thank you for your ideas for the date and some suggestions regarding flowers! You were a tremendous help!
> 
> Things are going to get serious. Oh yeah.

The black silhouette of Mt. Ebott had slowly disappeared behind the skeleton as he accelerated on the empty road leading back to the city. The motorcycle roared under him like a hungry beast that still wasn’t satiated despite an already hour long ride. The wind was pulling on his leather jacket as he took a sharp turn to leave the highway and he almost touched the asphalt with his knee.

He had managed to push his thoughts towards Toby and their last music lesson. When the skeleton focused, he could still almost feel a somewhat soothing remnant of the boy’s small hand on his phalanges. He knew it was stupid and he still considered that a weakness. But... the fact that Toby had trusted him enough to make that simple gesture struck something deep within him.

The skeleton slowed down right before taking another turn. The tires of his vehicle screeched shortly and another growl filled the air around him as he forced the motorcycle to regain its previous speed.

Edge knew the drummer was a survivor, somebody who had learned to run away from a possible danger. And yet he chose, from the very beginning, to stay beside the skeleton and bear his exuberant and aggressive behavior. There was a shy glimmer of hope that the small human sensed that the skeleton was not an utterly horrible person at the very bottom of his soul.

The street lights he was passing by were just a bright blur to him as another familiar street led him back home. He could as well ride through there without any light at all - he knew this place all too well because of his frequent visits to the foot of the mountain. He needed to unwind again, to take his mind off of tomorrow, to think about anything except that.

When he allowed his thoughts to drift unattended for a longer while, they sooner or later reached towards you. Edge stopped fighting this a while ago - it wasn’t that surprising you were always on his mind since you texted him daily or were spending time with him every other day. He got so used to your presence he didn’t even have trouble in imagining your voice or seeing your face at any given moment. His world had changed so much since he had met you. It was almost unsettling.

Edge noticed with the corner of his eye socket that a black cat got startled by his loud motorcycle and it jumped off the nearest fence only to disappear into the bushes. He squeezed the handles harder to get ready for another sharp turn. The streets were getting narrow and he had to control his vehicle with more precision.

Over half of the situations you had dragged him into were so strange and new to him he felt tense all the time. Always on alert, ready to act and to fight if need be. But all of them had shown Edge something surprising and worth experiencing. He _couldn’t_ react to everything according to his old ways. All of his usual habits were useless around you and he had to figure out new strategies to deal with everything. No magic, no violence, no aggression, no position of the Captain of the Royal Guard. It was difficult but at the same moment _so thrilling_.

Like a really big and complicated puzzle.

The area he was in wasn’t fit for high speed, so the skeleton had to slow down significantly while maneuvering through the familiar neighborhood. Most of the houses had windows filled with darkness as their residents were fast asleep. Perhaps some of the humans and monsters woke up because of him - his motorcycle wasn’t especially silent, even while riding slowly.

Edge was extremely grateful to you for being the one to stand him and actually push him to do more with his life. It wasn’t always a walk in a park but ultimately, everything was worth it. He owed you a lot already so he promised himself to finally settle his debt when given a chance. He had some plans already but there was one more thing he needed to attend to before he deals with that...

It was already middle of the night when Edge had finally turned off his motorcycle’s engine a short walk away from the skeleton’s house. The fact that he needed to go out because of the growing tension in his soul didn’t mean that all of his housemates should have trouble sleeping at night. He had quietly led his vehicle into the garage before taking his helmet off and letting out a tired sigh. This late night ride was meant to help him unwind even a little, however ridiculous it may seem. It worked... to some extent. Especially when he had managed to think about something entirely different than Cindy and tomorrow’s date.

Unfortunately, coming back home meant he remembered _why_ he needed to take a ride in the first place. Edge huffed in exasperation at his own stupid thoughts that decided to switch from you to the fact that he was going on the very first date in his life.

He did everything he could to be prepared for it. You had ignored his snarky comments and disgruntled huffs - like always - and your suggestions were a tremendous help. Edge did his research on what he had learned from you and knew what to do. But there was still this lingering feeling in the back of his skull that he forgot to take something into account. The more he tried to focus on it, the more frustrated he felt and the need to hop on his motorcycle and go literally anywhere reappeared in his soul. And thus the maddening circle closes.

Resisting that urge, Edge left his helmet on the motorcycle’s handles and entered the house as quietly as possible. He still was able to move stealthily if need be, so he didn’t really worry he would wake up any of his skeleton housemates while on his way to his room. However, before he had even reached the stairs, a familiar sound made him stop in his tracks and look around the dark living room.

A soft snoring was coming from the spot on the couch facing the big TV on the wall. There was only one skeleton he knew who did that, so Edge’s attention quickly shifted to his sleeping brother. The tall skeleton walked up closer to the couch and leaned a little to look over the backrest. Sans was sprawled on the seats in a position that looked a tad uncomfortable, his head was lolled to the side and his teeth were parted slightly in a rather goofy looking manner. He had managed to kick the blanket to the ground and trap a pillow under his right knee while still keeping another, smaller one, under his skull.

The taller skeleton knew they both had nightmares for a long time after they arrived to this world’s Surface. None of them dared to speak about that but both of them knew. There were nights when Edge couldn’t sleep at all and spent the late hours just sitting next to the wall that separated his room from Sans’. He heard his brother gasp in his sleep, mumble something in a frightened voice or yelp suddenly. He was fairly certain there was at least one night the small skeleton had spent under the bed.

It had been a while since Sans had nightmares though. The taller skeleton didn't suffer from them lately too. They both had significantly calmed down and the fact that his precious brother slept here, out in the open, in the house where other people lived, showed how comfortable he got. Edge was glad to see that. Sans deserved a calm and happy life.

Edge had been thinking about himself and the small skeleton for a while now. Especially after the last lesson with Toby, when he was contemplating why he would want to touch a strange person, a human, but not his own brother. Fortunately, his own grim thoughts found a quick answer to that before he had managed to dwell on the guilt for too long. They both were still recovering.

The things he wanted to do with his brother - like simply patting him on the shoulder or even hugging him - were considered a sign of weakness in their Underground. Stars, caring for anybody was dangerous as it meant there was a way to reach him, to render him defenseless. Some overzealous shitheads could hurt him without actually facing his magic and combat prowess. He could deal with about anybody that tried to attack him but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to survive if his older brother got dusted.

The whole stupid facade, the one that he hated so much right now, was to protect Sans. To protect them both. Treating him like a disposable henchman meant he wasn’t somebody important enough to try that shit with Edge. Besides, if he was behaving like that towards his own family, nobody would even think of making him angry - who knows what he was capable of towards a stranger that crossed him.

It worked. It was crazy, brutal, cruel and always left a nauseating feeling in his soul, but it worked. And they both got used to it after all those years. Maybe it would have been different if Sans was the one calling the shots - he could be intimidating without even raising his voice - but the older brother wouldn’t want to hear about taking the role of the ‘boss’ in their relationship. Not since…

Edge idly touched his chest and felt the deep scar with his phalanges. It was palpable even through the thick fabric of his t-shirt. His thoughts had trailed off until he caught himself just staring at the sleeping skeleton for stars know how long. Sans looked so fucking peaceful at that moment he couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

Whatever happened to them in the Underground was in the past and couldn’t be changed. But… that didn't mean he had to be an asshole all his life, _right_? Spending time with you and your miserable lot showed him that he could be something... maybe not else, but at least something _more_. He could be something more to his own brother too, but he needed to take a risk and at least try.

It could have been his weariness after a whole day of work and restlessness that pushed him towards this utterly stupid and naive decision. Papyrus did that so many times with that lazy bag of bones and for some stupid reason, Edge felt a painful pang in his soul almost every time he saw that. Despite his better judgment, the tall skeleton walked around the couch and kneeled slowly right next to the sleeping skeleton. While still staring at Sans’ face, he carefully sneaked his long arms under his brother’s neck and knees to gently lift him up.

Edge realized how stupid his actions were when the smaller skeleton jolted awake the second his feet dangled in the air. It was too late to stop what he was doing and letting his brother fall onto the floor was absolutely out of question. He straightened himself and clutched Sans closer to avoid accidentally dropping him.

“ **Shhh, you idiot. It’s just me.** ”, he mumbled to the frightened skeleton in his arms before he would wake up the whole household.

The smaller skeleton’s body was still stiff, almost paralyzed. “ **Wh- what the… bro, I almost hit ya!** ”, he hissed at him with a mixture of anger and shock in his gruff voice.

The sudden buzzing of magic that appeared behind Edge’s back slowly faded out, leaving a significant trace in the air that he could almost taste between his fangs. After a short while, an invisible hand that was clenching around his soul relaxed its grip too. The taller skeleton doubted one scared attack could seriously injure him but he was glad he dodged a bullet here - it was a fucking awful idea to begin with.

Without anything to say to his defense, Edge proceeded towards the stairs silently. After a short glimpse at his brother’s nervous expression, he didn’t feel like looking at him at all.

“ **What… are ya doin’?** ”, Sans’ voice grumbled hesitantly.

Edge started ascending the stairs. “ **I’m taking you upstairs.** ”, he stated the obvious in a leveled tone. “ **You shouldn’t be sleeping on the couch all the time.** ”

Three. Four. Five steps. The skeleton's body in his arms was still uncomfortably stiff.

“ **...why?** ”, he heard him ask.

“ **Because it is bad for your spine. You’ve heard Papyrus.** ”, the taller skeleton answered without missing a beat.

“ _ **No** **.**_ ”, this time his tone was sharper. “ **Why are ya doin’ this?** ”

Edge knew he fucked up when he heard that and couldn’t answer the way he knew he should. ‘Because I care about you’. Such a simple sentence yet not one word of that had managed to go past his clenched sharp teeth. He wanted to say that so badly but the longer this situation lasted, the less strength he had to do that.

About the time he had reached the top of the stairs, Sans had lost his patience.

“ **A’right. Enough. That’s... put me down!** ”, he barked in a low voice while wriggling in his taller brother’s arms, threatening to fall on the ground because of that.

Edge leaned slightly and lowered his brother’s legs to do what he was told, but the smaller skeleton jumped out of his grasp before his feet properly touched the floor. In a second he was facing Edge with his back pressed against his room’s door.

“ **What’s gotten into ya? Ya don’t act like that.** ”, Sans said in a guarded tone.

Edge turned his head to stare right at his brother, despite magic creeping up on his cheekbones. He crossed the line again, he saw that clearly in the anxious and tense expression his brother had at the moment. Just like before, when he offered to stay around to help Sans calm down. It was so fucking unfair that they had to act like this, that they couldn’t just be like... brothers.

“ **Bro?** ”, the smaller skeleton spoke up again when Edge didn’t answer. There were sweat drops already forming on the surface of his scarred skull. “ **Ya are really weird lately... Is that because of my fuckup with ________...? 'm not drinkin’ that much now, honest. Ya don't need to walk 'round me on eggshells or some shit. I‘m fine. I‘m not gonna do that again.** ”

That was the last thing Edge wanted right now - to make his brother squirm and explain himself when there was nothing to explain. The taller skeleton parted his teeth but for a moment no words came out.

“ **I…** ”, he uttered finally and that helped him to continue. “ **I have been thinking about us a lot lately, Sans.** ”

His older brother was staring at him but Edge didn’t allow himself to lower his gaze. He needed to at least talk to him, to _face_ him, for fuck’s sake.

“ **Thinking about how we’re different from them, from the way they act towards each other. And why.** ”, he was choosing his words very carefully. " **I… don’t like it. Those differences annoy me.** "

Sans’ face scrunched up in irritation. “ **So what? We’re _not_ them.** ”, he barked.

Waking Sans up like this had already put the small skeleton into a really bad mood, so this topic wasn’t actually helping him calm down. He never liked being compared to his lazy counterpart, probably for the very same reason Edge hated being compared to Papyrus. Not because he thought that the cheerful skeleton was worse than him and that was offensive… no. On the contrary.

It was always killing his pride to see that everything he always wanted to be (and more) was already achieved by Papyrus and was utterly unachievable by _him._ The only thing Edge thought was better at was actually gaining the position of the Captain of the Royal Guard… but after those two years, he had his suspicions about that particular difference too. And that didn’t matter anymore anyways. He had often wondered how those unfair comparisons look in Sans’ mind. And how it must feel for the smaller skeleton to see this world’s Papyrus and be aware that’s something his younger brother _could_ but never would be.

“ **And they’re _not_ us.** ”, Sans continued with a dismissive scoff. “ **What’s so great about those weaklings, huh? Ya wanna do all the touchy-feely shit they do?** ”

Edge felt embarrassment hit him like a wave and that made him snap despite his intentions to stay calm. He was too tired, too frustrated and too fucking jealous. He knew that his brother didn't have this much trouble with touching other skeletons, but that wasn't especially surprising. None of their counterparts ever hurt him and that made it easier to allow some brief touches and even hugs. Edge wanted that too, however _selfish_ that was.

“ **And what is wrong with that?!** ”, he raised his voice a little, not caring that somebody might wake up because of that. “ **Maybe I do! Maybe I miss it! I don’t even fucking remember the last time you… we…** ”, the look on Sans’ face made him stutter and lose the thread. “ **We… we don’t even touch each other unless it’s necessary…** ”, Edge gestured at the smaller skeleton in exasperation. “ **...or unless I’m a piece of shit toward you**.”

His last words were very quiet. Edge looked away, not able to meet his brother's gaze anymore. He _was_ always treating Sans like shit. Always manhandling him, pushing him away when he was worried, grabbing him by the clothes when he annoyed him, threatening, calling names… the list goes on.

“ **It’s just… every single time I look at them… I see a hint of what we could be.** ”, Edge managed to say and took a deep breath before asking in a shamefully hopeful tone. “ **Don’t you miss it too? Don’t you want to… to even try to go back to when we acted… differently?** ”

The tension in the air between the skeletons was almost tangible. This situation probably couldn’t get any more awkward or worse. Edge took a deep sigh and dared to look at his brother briefly. The smaller skeleton was staring at him with his eye sockets wide and bone brows knit tightly.

“ **We… We need to finally get out of the Underground, Sans. It’s been too long.** ”, the taller skeleton muttered when the silence got too heavy for him to bear.

Sans needed a while to finally say something.

“ **We’re not in-** ”, he stopped in the middle of the sentence and looked away while trying to stuff his hands into the hoodie’s pockets. To his chagrin, he wasn’t wearing any right now, so his hands fumbled awkwardly at the rim of the ugly red sweater.

The silence fell again and both of them were looking anywhere but at each other. Edge could almost hear the anxious buzzing of his own soul.

“ **So what now?** ”, the smaller skeleton’s voice sounded really uncomfortable and there was a hint of a tense joke in it too. “ **Ya wanna hug or what?** ”, he chuckled awkwardly.

Edge immediately crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive manner and huffed dismissively. “ ** _No._** ”

“ **… then what _the fuck_ was all that about?** ”, his older brother blurted in confusion.

There was _nothing_ more the taller skeleton wanted than to be able to easily wrap his arms around his older brother without that nagging feeling it was too dangerous to show any affection. He longed for those times when he was just a babybones and could guiltlessly run towards Sans’ open arms. But so many fucked up things happened and those times were gone. There was no turning back and Edge knew there’s no fucking chance they would be this affectionate towards each other ever again.

Besides, this situation was awkward enough with a stupid forced hug suggested in _that_ tone. Sans sounded like he didn't want that but hid behind a joke like always. Not today, perhaps not ever. “ **I’m just notifying you that I’m not opposed to the… general idea of the ‘touchy-feely shit’. With you.** ”, Edge grumbled through grit fangs.

“ **Oh...** ”, he heard his older brother mutter quietly.

“ **And…** ”, a new thought entered the taller skeleton’s mind so he decided to speak before it turned into a silent guilt. “ **... you can-... you _should_ tell me to fuck off when I'm making you uncomfortable with…** ”, Edge waved at him as if this vague gesture would cover the whole wide variety of the manhandling and abuse.

It was too much for him. He couldn’t really look at Sans anymore, let alone spend more time talking. He really hoped that his brother was smart enough to grasp the meaning behind this because Edge was so done with this awkward situation.

He cleared his proverbial throat before Sans was able to collect himself and say anything. “ **Goodnight, brother** ”, Edge uttered quickly and was behind the closed door of his own room in a matter of seconds.

He leaned on the wall right next to it and covered his face with both of his hands. The tall skeleton wanted to groan but he knew Sans would hear him. The situation Edge had put them both in was embarrassing enough as it was, there was no fucking need to add his distressed and frustrated noises to the already confusing mix. His soul was frantic again and the all too familiar anger dwelling deep inside of him reemerged. Fucking perfect.

After a deep breath, he shuffled tiredly to his desk and angrily moved the mouse to wake up his computer. That one hour ago he was in the middle of translating a few items from your List of Buckets when he had felt the urge to kick something and chose to ride a motorcycle instead. He knew he wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon now, so he could just as well get back to his task. The whole process was tedious - your handwriting was bad, the photos of your list were blurry and the fact he knew nothing about your language didn’t help at all. At least he had managed to correctly translate those you had told him about, so he knew he was going in the right direction.

Still, it was hard. But he was determined. And it was a pretty good distraction from the date… and from whatever the fuck had possessed him a while ago.

Edge had spent another hour trying to decipher your handwriting and making sure the phrases he translated made any sense. The skeleton clicked with his mouse here and there on the screen while stroking the cat idly with his free hand. He didn’t even notice when the animal jumped onto his lap but he didn’t feel like shooing her off when she made herself comfortable. The quiet purrs of the cat and a low hum of the computer finally calmed him down enough to go to sleep almost at dawn.

He woke up quite suddenly and looked around to find the source of this abrupt awakening. His still sleepy mind vaguely remembered a farting sound that had snapped him out of a dream he had already forgotten. Still tangled in his bedding, Edge turned toward the nightstand to quickly grab his phone and check what was going on.

 **The Human:** Have fun on your date, Edgenova!

The skeleton blinked a few times while looking at the message, not quite getting what were you referring to. As soon as he looked at the time and he understood he overslept, the realization hit him so hard he was standing in the middle of his room fully awake in a matter of a second. The date!

Edge was glad nobody was home - though he had hoped to ask Papyrus about something date-related - because all his hasty preparations and grooming looked just silly. At least he had his black buttoned shirt ready since yesterday but that still made up for only a few minutes. He had no time for any breakfast. Fortunately, he still wasn’t late. He hated being late.

After making sure he had his wallet and phone with him, Edge grabbed his jacket and left the house. He quickly fastened a spare helmet to the back seat of the motorcycle and he was off in a minute, the engine roaring under him yet again.

He had very little time to spare to get to Cindy’s new apartment but his plan was to buy her some flowers beforehand and he was dead set on fulfilling this part of the date. It was still overwhelming for him how many plants there actually were on the Surface, so despite being pressed for time, he had to give this choice a serious thought. He considered yellow chrysanthemums or carnations but somehow that seemed… unbecoming. He did agree to that date after all, so roses were the most natural and classy choice for him.

Edge managed to get to her place on time. He squeezed the stems of five yellow flowers in his left hand and rang the bell as soon as his feet touched the doormat in front of Cindy’s door. He didn’t want to let his hesitation stop him when he was already there, though the mere sound of the bell startled him a little - its buzzing was _so_ fucking loud.

A minute or so had passed before Edge had to use the doorbell again. He checked the time on his phone for the third time and frowned. This idle waiting made him anxious and his thoughts started reeling out of control. He wouldn’t actually mind canceling today but at the same time, he wanted it to be over in the right way. Maybe she had changed her mind and left before he arrived? He wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Or something had happened and Cindy needed to take care of that matter? Edge had her number, so perhaps it was something serious as there was no message from her at all. At this point, he just decided to wait. Banging on the door seemed… well, just wrong.

Finally, the skeleton heard quick footsteps behind the door.

“Ah, sorry!”, Cindy appeared in them. “I was still… uh…”

Edge almost felt how her gaze wandered from his skull to his chest. It _was_ unusual for him to have a buttoned shirt under his leather jacket but the woman’s stare made him feel especially self-conscious about his today’s fashion choice. He had noticed that fortunately, she was wearing something nicer too and even had makeup on. It was good to know he didn’t go overboard with the shirt.

He cleared his proverbial throat while looking away and covering his teeth with his right fist. “ **These are for you.** ”, he handed Cindy the flowers.

She seemed startled for a moment. The situation was awkward for both of them, so the skeleton patiently waited for her to hesitantly reach for the simple bouquet. She didn’t smile or anything as she took the flowers gently into her hands.

“I’ll… I’ll put them in water…”, she mumbled, clearly flustered. The blush already began creeping up from her cleavage but she quickly hid that with the yellow roses she got. “You want to… come in or something?”

“ **No.** ”, he shook his head. “ **We should be on our way already. And take a jacket or something... It’s going to be a longer ride.** ”

* * *

Edge estimated that it would take them about an hour to reach the destination. He rode very carefully, not to startle the woman that was nervously clutching to his back all the way to the next city. The skeleton knew she sometimes rode to the rehearsals with Damien, but it seemed like Edge’s motorcycle was bigger, louder and faster. He did feel a little better while thinking about it.

It was odd to feel her body pressed against his back. She was… different than you, however stupid that thought was. Of course, you and she differed. Edge had just always assumed that human bodies feel alike as they were just flesh around bones, nothing more. Yet there he had it - Cindy felt softer but also colder. Her body wasn’t as warm as he remembered yours.

Her embrace was pretty tight all the time but she didn't dare to touch his spine. He knew it would be probably easier for her to grab him in the most narrow part of the torso as she had shorter arms, so he was grateful she refrained from doing so. Cindy did stop being so grabby a while ago and the skeleton wondered whether it was something she realized herself or you told her about that. It didn’t matter.

According to Edge’s plan, they had arrived at the fair quite early. There were not many vehicles parked at the pebbled parking area a short walk from a colorful fence and the skeleton didn’t notice that many people either. It was exactly what he wanted - the fewer humans the better for him. The fair was held next to the city that had very little monsters living in it, so a skeleton would be an unusual sight. The last thing he needed was additional attention.

He took off his helmet and waited for Cindy to get off the motorcycle before standing up himself. The music from the fair reached him the moment he uncovered his skull. It was cheerful and annoying, just as he assumed it would be. Despite his irritation and tiredness, he refrained from letting out a deep sigh.

“ **Let’s go.** ”, he grumbled at the woman as soon as he tied both helmets to the handles near the back seat. She was staring at the fence with wide-eyed expression but nodded.

Edge waited for her to finally move and began walking towards the fair’s colorful entrance. He stuffed his hands deep into his pants’ pockets and kept looking straight. He felt tense because the woman next to him was unusually quiet and he didn’t know what to make of it. You were fairly positive that Cindy liked fairs, so why was she reacting that way?

He was too deep in his thoughts to recognize a slightly hunched figure sitting in the ticket booth. As Edge got closer to the entrance, it finally struck him who that was and he frowned.

“ **And what is he doing here…?** ”, he mumbled to himself.

That attracted Cindy’s attention. “You know that... monster?”, she asked in an uncertain tone.

“ **Yes. That’s…** ”, Edge let out an irritated sigh. “ **...my _annoying_ brother.** ”

“Oh…”, she answered and went silent again.

He almost forgot that you were the only human he knew personally that got a chance to meet the other skeletons. Cindy only heard he had brothers during that one evening. Honestly, if Edge had known this lazybones was going to guard the very entrance to the fair, he would have thought of something else for a date.

It was odd to see the other Sans here though. The small skeleton wasn’t supposed to be working… at all. Edge knew pretty well how long Papyrus can chide him for going back to the unhealthy habit of working three or four jobs at once. They didn’t need this sort of sacrifices anymore, not with Papyrus’ income. That stupid lazybones had been told numerous times to focus on his writing and taking care of himself, not tiring his ass off for whatever reason. Was he too bored with Edge’s brother being often at work? Did he need inspiration or some shit? Not that it was Edge’s business…

“heya, edge.”, Sans’ counterpart leaned a little in the booth and prepped his chin on his bony palm. He cast a curious glance at Cindy that was walking right beside Edge.

The taller skeleton scowled a little but seeing there was no other choice, he gestured at the woman.

“ **This is Cindy. She’s my date.** ”, he stated loud and clear, as said date immediately turned red on her face.

The other skeleton raised his brow bone a little. “huh.”

Edge pulled out his wallet and paid for two without another word. Cindy was still silent and the situation got more awkward the longer the small skeleton was judgingly staring at both of them. There were moments he couldn’t stand this Sans’ gaze and this was precisely one of them.

“i would avoid goin’ to the haunted house if i were you, buddy.”, Sans hinted lazily as both Edge and the woman were trying to put the paper bracelets indicating they had bought the tickets on their wrists.

The taller skeleton huffed in annoyance. “ **I don’t need your advice, bag of bones.** ”

“ok. have fun, kids.”, he replied while closing one of his eye sockets.

Edge just shot a dirty look at him and motioned at Cindy to join him on his way to the fairground. She quickly followed and was walking beside him again. She did cast one last look at the lazybones in the booth though.

The skeleton waited for any questions to happen, but she didn’t say anything. Cindy simply didn’t seem comfortable with him and that was incredibly frustrating, despite the fact that he knew why she was behaving like that. It was the first time they were actually alone with each other. There was always somebody else they both knew in the vicinity. Either a member of the Miserable Lot or… you. Even Edge was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

You told him that Cindy had a particular fondness when it came to any fairs. She even went to the Monster Spring Fair that year and apparently loved everything it had to offer. This fair didn’t look anything like the one that monsters annually organized but it still was… somehow similar. There were a lot of colorful stands with silly games and challenges wedged between the low fences that enclosed the various carousels. The mixed smell of smoke, grease, and sweetness told him that there were also booths with food and drinks.

Of course, the human fairs were directed at profiting as much as possible while the Monster Spring Fair was about fixing human-monsters relations and celebrating the day of monster’s freedom. Edge wasn’t here to judge and scowl at the human greed though. He turned to the woman on his left.

“ **Where do you want to go first?** ”, he asked while raising his voice a little. They were close to some carousels and other attractions so the annoying music got louder.

She looked at him with surprise clear in her eyes. “Oh… um… Maybe we’ll start with a ferris wheel? You can see the whole fairground from there so… so we can choose where to go later from there…?”, she asked while hunching a little.

Edge frowned. “ **Fine.** ”

The crowd at the fair was still small, so they didn't have to wait long for an unoccupied car. Edge waited for Cindy to get on first, watching closely how she behaves to act accordingly during this new experience - he never saw a reason to ride one before after all. A few seconds passed and they were beginning to slowly ascend.

The whole construction wobbled a little, so both Cindy and the skeleton had to grab a handle in front of them. They rode in silence, listening to the annoying music and the unsettling creaking of the metal construction holding the car up in the air. The whole situation felt strained. Forced.

Edge was at loss. What the fuck should he do to fix it? He heard a lot about how the first dates are supposed to be awkward at the beginning but this was going _horribly_. The skeleton was getting angry, mostly at himself. Cindy wanted to ask him out so the fault was clearly on his side.

“ **Do you even want to be here with me?** ”, he asked in a low, leveled tone when he couldn’t bear another second of it.  “ **If not, I can simply take you home, woman. No harm done. It was just a stupid game.** ”

She fumbled with the rim of her long tunic before quickly stuffing both of her hands between her knees. “I… n-no, I want to be here. It’s nice.”, she assured quickly while staring at her legs.

“ **No, it’s not. I can see that.** ”, he growled lowly while leaning a little towards the woman. “ **What’s wrong? What human custom am I missing?** ”

She immediately got red when he got closer to her, but didn’t say anything for a moment. When she finally answered, her tone was really quiet. ”I didn’t assume you would agree... You didn’t seem to like me at all.”

He didn’t bother commenting on the liking part. It was true - he didn’t _like_ her. But he also had nothing against her lately. He had a way more confusing thing to focus on anyway.

“ **But… but you asked me out _yourself_.** ”, he blurted out, surprised.  “ **Why did you do that with that assumption? What’s the point?** ”

“Well…”, Cindy shrugged. “I just thought this could settle the situation between us once and for all. You know… I ask you out, making it clear what I want... you reject me and… and maybe I would be able to move on…”

The skeleton moved away from the woman when the meaning behind her words dawned on him. This was still connected to her ex-boyfriend. This was exactly what Damien meant back then… she was trying to move on and Edge was in the way. Was he just supposed to say ‘no’ like he always did and everything would end? Did his choice to act more civil towards the other humans he knew backfire this spectacularly? _Fuck_.

Still flabbergasted he stared at the fairgrounds visible from the car that was slightly swaying due to the machine’s slow motion. The fair occupied a much larger area than he previously thought, so the whole size of it was pretty impressive. Not that he actually cared about that but it was always something to help him think about his next step. Humans were so fucking bizarre and frustrating to him but he felt he still should do something now. Or at least say something.

“ **How long were you with that guy?** ”, he asked suddenly.

Cindy finally raised her head and looked at him. It seemed that she was as surprised by his question as he was himself.

“Um… I… three years. Give or take…”, she bit her lower lip while looking away but at least her head was still up. It was a little success then.

Edge cocked his skull while raising his brow bones. “ _ **Really?**_ ”

His tone made Cindy purse her lips and glare at him for a second. “He wasn’t like _that_ when we started dating.”

Edge couldn’t help but smirk a little at this short change of her demeanor. His expression faltered as quickly as it appeared though. Where was this feisty woman when that asshole was throwing plates in her direction?

“ **So what happened?** ”, the skeleton leaned closer again, not noticing his tone got audibly lower.

The woman next to him hung her head. “I’m… not sure. Everything was fine, we were happy. I was happy. But… it all changed so slowly that I actually didn’t notice it at all. I… I don’t know…”, her voice quivered a little.

The last thing Edge wanted right now is for her to cry. For fuck’s sake, that would make the whole date unbearable to him. Especially when there were so many people around.

“ **So three years?** ”, he spoke quickly, hoping he would have a chance to distract her even a little.

She hummed something that sounded like agreement.

The skeleton let out a deep sigh. “ **Did that loser take you to any fairs during that time?** ”

Cindy shook her head and had to adjust her curly red hair with both of her hands as the bangs fell covered her face. “No… he always said it was childish, so I stopped suggesting it.”

 _Of course he did_. Edge rolled his eye lights at her words and huffed loudly. The ferris wheel ride was already coming to an end so the skeleton impatiently stood up before the car came to halt. He had finally reached a decision what to do with that stupid date idea. Childish or not, he had already done stupid shit with _you_ and found out he didn’t mind it at all. Spending time with you often turned out to be the best idea he had, so maybe this would be similar. Besides, this place was filled with humans and he rarely got a chance to observe them like that. And he never backed down from a challenge anyway.

“ **Well then, let’s go.** ”, he growled as he left the car first.

He heard her shuffle behind him. “Y-yeah. I can return the money for the tick-”

Edge turned around sharply and pointed his finger at her chest while looming over her small frame. “ ** _Shut up._** ”, he growled again, this time a little louder. “ **I took you on a date to a stupid human fair and you’re going to have fun. _Understood_?** ”

She took a step back from him, clearly uncomfortable because of his behavior. Edge immediately lowered his hand when he realized how his tone sounded.

“Um… okay?”, Cindy mumbled.

Fucking perfect. There was nothing he could do to quickly fix it right now and he already felt curious gazes of other humans that were entering or leaving the ferris wheel carts. The skeleton motioned at his date with his skull to make her walk that way and followed right after her when she walked towards the very heart of the fairground.

There were larger booths and carousels here. The crowd was bigger too but still not enough to justify any physical contact with the ginger woman. He kept his hands in his pockets all the time and just followed her as she seemed to finally know what she wanted to do. Edge was about to ask her what she chose when his soul stuttered at the all too familiar sound of thunder growling at him like a hungry beast.

He stopped immediately and looked around. The sound was coming from his left and seemed distant, almost muffled. But if he heard it anyway, that meant the storm was awfully close. He was _prepared_ for today. There weren’t supposed to be any thunderstorms around this area. Not today, not in _three_ days. There were almost no clouds but... What was he going to do? You were not around and his brother had no idea where he went. Should he ask that lazybones to help him? _Would_ he even help him? And what about Cindy? Should he leave her? What was he-

“Hey, are you alright?”, Cindy had noticed that he was standing in one place, staring at the part of the sky that was visible behind the weirdly constructed building. “Oh… those.”

Edge snapped out of his frantic thoughts to look at the woman next to him and then quickly shifted his attention to the building they were standing in front of. The muffled growl of thunder rang in the air again and his almost panicking mind had noticed that the sound was coming from the haunted house.

It was… a recording…? It was not real...?

“ **... what?** ”, he asked in a slightly hoarse tone. His eye lights were still glued to the building.

She grimaced a little. “Sorry. I didn’t think those skeletons might be disturbing to you… We can choose another way next time, right?”

Edge frowned when his mind was finally able to properly focus on what was in front of him. There were indeed skeletons hanging from the windows and the roof of the dark building. Some of them had a noose around their necks, some were missing limbs, and every single one of them was completely naked. He was already used to the fact that the humans had a particular fondness for those - especially with Halloween being a week away - but using this as an excuse to his reaction seemed the best way out. The ‘fake thunder’ was still making his soul freeze from fright but it was easier to control his fear knowing it wasn’t real. He really hoped it wasn't real.

“ **Yes.** ”, he managed to say. “ **It’s extremely indecent.** ”

“I don’t like scary stuff so… can we go do something different over there?”, Cindy suggested with an apologetic smile. Or maybe she was mocking him a little? It actually didn’t matter, as long as it meant they will stay away from that place.

“ **Whatever… you choose.** ”, he growled and started walking towards the building that she pointed at.

Apparently, there was a small town with many buildings in the middle of the fairground, similar to the haunted house. Some of those were just bigger food booths with a stupid theme like pirates or aliens but at least half of them were purely for entertainment. And Cindy decided to go inside a few of them.

It took Edge a while to actually calm down and appreciate what human ingenuity had to offer him in those. He still could swear he was able to hear the recorded thunder from time to time and that didn’t help him relax even a bit. The skeleton decided to focus solely on his date - he said that Cindy was going to have fun with him after all. He was following her through several weird houses and observed her closely. She seemed to loosen up a little bit too, which was a good sign, but she began behaving like herself only when they had entered the mirror house.

The mirrors inside the small building were already a little dirty because of many greasy hands touching the silver surface but it was still possible to ignore that and focus on the reflections that were… odd. Edge supposed that was the whole point of that attraction - to have a laugh at the way one looked in the mirrors. Cindy seemed to understand that pretty well.

The skeleton noticed a childlike wonder in her behavior, especially when she finally began to act like her usual self. She was always loud and cheerful but only now Edge heard that her laugh sounded very nice and he saw that her nose wrinkled a little when she giggled. Her smile was charming too, even with her front teeth being slightly crooked. It made her look… just happier. He didn’t know how that worked, but those were his thoughts when he looked at her bright smile. Even other people reacted in kind when they saw it… until they noticed who was tagging along with her. There was a little bit of craziness in Cindy, though it was nothing compared to how crazy _you_ could be. Perhaps innocent craziness, if something like that even existed?

Edge didn’t join her in those shenanigans but followed her closely through those fun houses and just looked or smirked at her fun. His mind was occupied with thoughts. What kind of brainless idiot would want to deny himself that sight? Edge couldn’t wrap his head around the woman’s choice to date that stupid bastard. If Bart really felt anything remotely warm towards her, he would have dragged Cindy to something like this dumb fair every day just to see that smile.

When she finally got tired, they left the small town of fun houses to look for something to eat. There were, of course, many food booths around the fair, though most didn’t look all too appealing to Edge. Cindy was wary of them too so she settled for some cotton candy. The skeleton begrudgingly gave these strange sweets a taste after her hesitant coaxing but decided he didn’t like it. It was way too sweet for him. Pure sugar wasn’t up his alley at all.

As the time had passed, there were more and more people around - mostly humans but Edge had noticed some monsters too. The skeleton began feeling very uncomfortable in this crowd. At least he was tall enough to loom over everybody and that sight made a lot of humans back away from him. Cindy was trying to keep close to him not to get lost in the swarm of people as she was small. Smaller than _you,_ as Edge had noticed.

They both decided it was a good moment to check some attractions that were on the outer edge of the fairground. There were mostly stands and booths directed at small children - probably to make it safer for them to roam around freely without getting lost or stepped on. It was loud here but in a different way than in the middle of the fair. Still, there was more air to breathe and Edge gladly allowed himself to sigh.

“Hey there! Yeah! You, monster! If you aim to eat her soul you’re gonna be so disappointed, man! They don’t have any!”, an annoying and over-confident voice rang in the air.

Edge almost immediately turned towards the human that was shouting this. He located the owner of the voice fairly quickly - it was a human that was sitting on a narrow ledge over a tank filled with water. It caught Edge by surprise a little but that didn’t change his angry scowl that was already on his face. The skeleton wasn’t especially fond of racist remarks, however, he had promised Papyrus not to get into trouble because of that.

“Wait…”, he felt Cindy grab him by the elbow for a second before withdrawing her hand quickly. Edge turned to her. “That’s his job. He’s… supposed to rile people up so they would be more eager to play.”

The skeleton scoffed loudly. “ **Really? This is stupid.** ”

She shook her head. “Not exactly. It’s more satisfying to dunk a person in the water when you’re mad at them. See that?”, she pointed at the bullseye that was placed over the annoying human’s left shoulder. “If you hit it with a ball, the seat will collapse and he will fall into the tank.”

Edge squinted a little while staring at the target. It was fairly close and quite big, but the human that was sitting on the ledge had dry clothes. He sensed it wasn’t as easy as it seemed from Cindy’s explanation.

“I’ll show you.”, she quickly walked up to the bored looking human that was sitting next to the tank and guarding a basket full of yellow balls. She returned with two of them and handed one to the skeleton. “Here. I’ll go first, okay?”

She turned towards the dunk tank and stuck out her tongue while she was aiming at the bullseye. She threw the ball with a soft gasp, but it didn’t hit any near the target.

The human on the ledge laughed loudly. “Man… maybe if you straightened those incisors your aim would straighten too, huh ginger girl?”

This comment made Cindy lower her head in embarrassment and press her hands to her mouth. A vividly red blush appeared on her face right after the annoying human laughed again.

Edge grimaced at this and weighted the ball in his hand. As he suspected, it was very light and weirdly balanced. It made sense to make this game challenging but that hardly seemed fair to him. The skeleton doubted any human would be able to throw this pathetic excuse for a ball and hit the target properly. Fortunately… he was no human.

“Uh-oh. With no meat on those bones, I wonder if it'll fly even halfway to me!”, the human taunted with a stupid grin on his face.

Edge nudged Cindy with his elbow to make her look at him right before he himself glared at the bullseye. He was still incredibly strong compared to humans and he knew how to throw shit properly - his brother was too good at dodging after all. He squeezed the ball in his bony hand and a second later sent it flying towards the target.

A bell rang in the air the same moment the seat under the annoying human collapsed. A loud splash of water followed right after that. The human from the dunk tank resurfaced quickly, spewing water and curses around.

“Oh fuck… so cold… so fucking cold… Help me out, man.”, he whined while trying to get out from the water with help of his bored co-worker.

“ **This was indeed slightly satisfying.** ”, Edge admitted with a smirk and looked at Cindy, whose smile was almost glowing at the moment.

After that, the woman seemed even more comfortable around him and literally dragged him towards other booths with challenges. He allowed her to do that, mostly because he was curious to see those attractions she started rambling about.

She chose a shooting range first and explained how the simple firearm worked. Edge was listening to her intently and even asked some short questions when something caught his attention. Then he merely observed Cindy as she shot some targets and the skeleton remembered she wasn’t half bad during the paintball game those few weeks ago. She hit some metal animals in the far back of the shooting range, but it was too little to win a bigger prize. They got some cheap sweets instead and Edge stuffed one sucker into his jacket’s pocket after a short thought. His brother might like it.

Edge refused to use the firearm, so they switched the challenge booth to something with yet another ball throwing competition. The skeleton managed to collapse one tower of heavy metal cans with a really soft and light ball and won a little bunny plushie, which he immediately gave to his date. It looked disturbingly familiar to him.

He was feeling tired for half of the day but decided to follow Cindy as long as she still had the strength to have fun. She decided she was done in the late afternoon so Edge took her home. The way back seemed to be much shorter than before.

As he was walking her to her apartment he let out a deep and tired sigh. He was glad this day was finally ending. It was somewhat fun to roam the fair with somebody who liked it and he appreciated this learning experience but he was so fucking _exhausted_. He barely slept at night and the whole outing was really aggravating - so many people, so many sounds, so many colors and sights and other shit. It was too much for him. He was sure he would go back home, wash away the scent of the cotton candy, hot dogs and hundreds of humans that brushed past him and collapse on his bed like a log.

“So… I had fun.”, Cindy said in an awkward tone while turning to face him at her doorstep. “Maybe I’ll pick something next time?”

Edge was afraid this might happen. He could have made her date a horrible experience, just to make sure she wouldn’t go back to swooning over him, but that didn’t seem right. He told _you_ that he wouldn’t half-ass anything and he meant that.

“ **And why would you want to go out with me again, woman?** ”, he asked in a tired and a tad irritated voice.

She shrunk a little, keeping her arms close to herself and pressing the stuffed bunny to her chest. “Well. Like I said, I had fun-”

“ **No.** ”, he interrupted her with a growl. “ **Why me? I’m not even _remotely_ nice to you.** ”

This argument was ironclad to him. He really wasn’t nice to her. There were moments he acted at most decent, but never nice.

“You were really nice _today_ …”, she mumbled while looking at her feet.

He was too tired to deal with something like that. It was already fine, the date was fine and she had fun. Even he had his small moments of fun too - something he thought wouldn’t happen. The skeleton was aware that this made her say that, but the sole logic behind this was pissing him off.

Was that why she ended up with somebody like that fucker Bart? Because he was just nice to her? Was Edge similar in her mind? _Once_ nice? Why was she like that?

“ **NO! That’s… just no** **!** ”, he barked at her aggressively. “ **That’s not how it should work, you dense woman! You should date somebody who treats you like that every day, not only because he wants to occasionally fuck you or got dared into doing it. _Where_ are your fucking standards!?** ”

He was yelling at her again, this time out of sheer frustration and tiredness and being so done with today’s shit. What made her lower her standards so much? What happened? He wasn’t nice. He wasn’t somebody she should be dating. Why somebody with such a kind soul and nice smile thought so little of herself? Why would somebody with that little feisty glint in her eyes cower because some asshole raised his voice at her...?

Edge noticed her shoulders began shaking slightly but she still did her best not to cry in front of him.

“ **I… I shouldn’t have…** ”, he muttered when it dawned on him that his tiredness and tension made him snap again.  

“N-no. You’re right… I’m sorry. I… I’m stupid, I know that.”, her voice hitched a little as she squeezed the plushie harder.

The skeleton knit his brow bones. “ **You’re not.** ”

She started crying silently, despite her attempts to stifle that as hard as she could. Edge’s darkest nightmare when it comes to this particular human had come true and it was even worse - he was aware there were people in the corridor that stopped to stare at the scene that was unraveling in front of Cindy’s apartment.

The skeleton stared at her for a moment and considered whether touching Cindy was a good idea now. He fucked up so bad there was _no way_ he could make it worse, right? Edge slowly reached towards her and touched her shaking shoulders with the tips of his phalanges. Seeing she didn’t flinch at this, he allowed his hands to slowly slide to her arms and grabbed her gently. He absentmindedly noticed that she indeed felt different than you. He didn’t know why, but it was just… not-you.

“ **Cindy… look at me.** ”, he said and waited for her to do just that.

After a second or two, the crying woman raised her head enough to cast an embarrassed look on his face. Her eyes were red and puffy and the tears were glistening on her eyelashes. The skeleton had to lean down to look her in the eyes.

“ **You… you’re very kind, cheerful and selfless. There should be more humans like you, humans that see there are simple joys in life everywhere and that can have fun even with something deemed childish.** ”, he spoke in a serious tone, meaning every word. “ **You deserve to be treated like today. And always. Every. Single. Fucking. Day. You hear me?** ”

She was staring at him while her eyes filled with tears again.

“ **You shouldn’t settle for somebody who treated you right just once. Nor for somebody who was just _nice_.** ”, he insisted but ultimately ran out of uplifting words.

He decided to try something else, hoping his stupid sense of humor would work a little. He hated seeing her like that, being the reason that made her cry for just one stupid compliment. He wasn’t like Bart. **He wasn’t.**

“ **Of course…** ”, he looked away. “ **I am aware that there’s nobody better than me but you should definitely settle _only_ for the second best.** ”, he added jokingly while thinking that there were hundreds of humans and monsters that were better than him.

Fortunately, that managed to force a soft chuckle out of her. She reached to her face to wipe out the tears from her cheeks and Edge took it as a sign to get lost from her personal space.

“W-well... today’s been really nice.”, she said, her voice still strained from keeping the tears in. “I can’t imagine that somebody might top that.”

“ **Then that somebody will have to _work their ass off_ to at least try.** ”, he growled threateningly, though this time it wasn’t directed at her. “ **You’re worth trying, trust me.** ”

She shuffled uncomfortably and lowered her gaze again but Edge noticed she was calming down a little. “But… you won’t try?”, she asked with a hint of fading hope.

“ **I won’t.** ”, he said curtly. “ **I don’t feel anything like that to you, woman. The date was nice and I _don’t_ regret spending time with you, but that’s it on the matter.** ”

“Oh… it’s… fine…”, Cindy nodded a few times while taking a deep breath.

Edge was worried that she was going to cry again but there was nothing else he could say. He wasn’t going to lie or pretend to be interested in her. That would be… utterly useless and harmful. It would only cause more problems, for both of them. He felt he honestly gave it a try and even grew a little fond of the ginger woman after this date but… not in that way. There was no connection and he wasn’t interested in her. He was certain that she just wasn’t his type if he even had any.

He was still searching his skull for more words but Cindy spoke up first. “Hey… can we make a deal though?”

“ **What do you have in mind?** ”, he asked cautiously, taken slightly off guard with that sudden question.

“If you…”, she hesitated just for one moment. “...if you ever change your mind… it will be your turn to ask me on a date. Ok?”

She looked straight at him while trying to smile. The skeleton paused for a moment, staring at her long enough to make her blush again. Was she really planning to back off? Just like she said at the beginning of the date - he rejected her, so he would be able to move on? It would be a perfect ending to a tremendously stressful dare he agreed to face.

“ **Seems fair enough. You have a deal.** ”, he agreed in a more formal tone.

Edge had almost thought the whole situation was over for a second but there was still something in her demeanor that made him refrain from leaving. Her face got even redder as the seconds passed. The skeleton waited.

“Can I... get a hug? For... for the end of the date. I mean... it's... unlikely to get a kiss, so... um…”, her mumbling turned into a nervous rambling and she quickly covered her flustered face behind the stuffed bunny. “I mean... nothing.”

“ **A hug...?** ”, Edge decided to ignore the 'kiss' part. As she nodded with a barely audible ‘mhm’ he rolled his eye lights. “ _ **FINE** **.**_ ”

When she didn’t move even an inch, Edge understood what she really meant. She said “ _get_ ” not “ _give_ ”. After a short consideration, he begrudgingly closed the distance between him and the woman and wrapped his long arms around her small body. She hesitated before embracing him back and keeping her arms around his ribs, not his spine. Edge wasn’t happy about this weird display of affection but that was only because he was aware that they were out in the open and somebody might see them. Despite that, he held her a little longer than he primarily intended to as something told him she really needed that.

“But... we still can be friends, right...?”, she asked quietly with her face still buried in his black shirt.

“ **Yes, Cindy. We're friends.** ”, he assured.

* * *

 It took him a good hour to tiredly arrive home, take care of his dirty clothes that reeked of grease, smoke and cotton candy and wash away the same scent from his bones. He was extremely exhausted but at the same time, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep properly if he didn’t eat anything before going to bed. On his way to the kitchen, he stuck the sucker Cindy won at the fair into his brother’s door keyhole, not entirely sure when the small skeleton would come back home. Or whether he would want to talk to Edge at all after what he had done.

The TV in the living room was on, some silly cartoon was playing at the moment but there was no sound. The same lazybones he saw at the fair was now sprawled on the couch, his eye lights glued to the screen.

“ **I wanted to talk to you…** ”, Edge stopped in his tracks while grumbling those words. He was planning to talk to that bag of bones anyway, so why not finish all the annoying shit he needed to do today and sleep for two days straight?

“huh. yeah…?”, Sans turned his head slightly as his permanent grin got a little wider. The smaller skeleton’s eye lights finally moved and both of them were staring at each other for a few tense seconds.

“ **You know when that kid, Frisk, is coming? They usually were around during Halloween if I recall correctly.** ”, the taller skeleton asked.

Edge knew that this skeleton was somehow closer to the human child and was way more protective of them than Papyrus. He also knew that Papyrus would agree immediately to the idea he had and going to him first would be the best strategy but… having that lazybones’ approval seemed right. Especially after all this fucking time they both had been coldly avoiding each other. Edge wasn’t thrilled about the idea of befriending his brother’s counterpart but he was still willing to make the first move to bury the metaphorical hatchet. Or something. It would make both Papyrus and his own brother _happy_.

The smaller skeleton’s smile faltered immediately, almost as if he had expected something different.

“uh… dunno, buddy. the plans changed or somethin’. why?”, he cocked his head a little to have a better view on Edge.

He let out a tired sigh and stuffed his hands into his pants’ pockets. “ **______ has meeting the Human Ambassador on the List of Buckets. Thought I would ask them if they want to help me with fulfilling that one.** ”, Edge shrugged after those words and looked away.

Sans hummed. “i… can ask.”

The taller skeleton nodded and proceeded to the kitchen. He had enough interactions for today and trying to squeeze anything more from that bag of bones didn’t feel worth it anyway. He had enough of everything for a week, honestly. Edge still needed to eat something and spending his last bits of energy on talking with somebody who clearly didn’t want to do that seemed like a waste.

Fortunately for him, Papyrus was home earlier and prepared a meal for all of them. Edge was still impressed how the fuck was the cheerful skeleton able to fulfill all his duties and be home at certain hours to take care of the cooking. Perhaps he should talk to him about sharing this particular chore? Not today though…

After quickly eating a small portion of lasagna, Edge briefly considered leaving the dirty dishes to wash them in the morning, but something told him somebody would take care of them for him and he couldn’t allow that. While leaning over the sink and listening to the soothing sound of the running water, his thoughts began to sleepily wander again.

He would be really glad if he could make your meeting with that kid happen. The skeleton still vividly remembered how happy you were to see his magic or just to paint on that stupidly big canvas with him. He liked when you smiled and he found out that he liked to be the reason for that even more. Your laugh was something that could make his soul flutter in his chest like a bunch of crazy whimsuns on a sugar rush.

The skeleton smirked while reaching for a glass to wash it too. He had been thinking about you throughout the day too, even while focusing on Cindy. It was surprising how could one human become so important to him to the point he was so worried about their safety. He didn’t feel like that towards anybody before, not in the Underground. Edge was aware that he didn’t actually need to protect you, as you could fend for yourself without him, but still… it was a weird thought. The funnier thing was that he even disliked it when other people touched you, more because he wanted to do that instead and...

His hands stopped moving and the glass slipped out of his grasp and into the water-filled sink with a loud bang. The water splashed on his face.

“ **FUCK!** ”, he yelled loudly both because of what he just found out about himself and because of the dish soap that got right into his eye socket. " **Fucking... shit!** ", he covered his face with his bony hands while cursing again.

“dude, you alright?”, Edge heard a question coming from behind and turned around to face his brother's counterpart standing in the doorway.

“ **NO!... I mean… yes. I’m fine. It’s just something in my eye.** ”, he growled while reaching for the dishrag. He couldn’t focus on his task though, the realization still booming in his skull, loud and clear.

He was falling for _you_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think about the chapter and what was your favorite part!  
> EDIT: I absolutely forgot to ask you guys! Halloween is in two chapters (So late, I know, ohmygods) and I wondered - do you have any ideas regarding Reader's costume? I'm all ears and eyes!
> 
>  
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i)[ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405137656/littleblue5mcdork-pushes-more-art-across-the)[ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405059866/littleblue5mcdork-slowly-pushes-art-across-the)[ 4](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314667921/littleblue5mcdork-tada-finally-got-a-decent)[ 5](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314371436/littleblue5mcdork-okay-okay-so-far-so-good)[ 6](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314313271/littleblue5mcdork-and-omg-i-what-happened) by littleblue5mcdork  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah  
> [ by doodleinks](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167369414921/doodleinks-doodleinks-blblbl-thunderstruck)
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	23. Lightning Rod

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge gets his ass kicked and people get hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! It took a while but I finally managed to write this one. I planned this chapter since November but I didn't think it would turn out to be so HUGE. My god, this is so long I hope you won't get tired halfway through it. It's one day too late but - this is my Valentine's Day gift to all of you, my beautiful Readers!
> 
> Of course, it's not as lovey-dovey as you might think...
> 
> Anyways! Leave a comment to tell me what you think about this chapter!
> 
> [Papyrus' Fight Theme, because he deserves something cool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GySIToHCPac)

He wasn’t in love with you.

Edge had been repeating this sentence in his head for those past three days when he tried to focus on something else than thinking about his revelation. It was difficult for him not to space out in the middle of scrubbing the floor or washing the windows. If he was lucky enough to manage to _finally_ focus on fulfilling his duties in a timely manner, he got a text message from you and the whole process of forcibly not-thinking about you began anew.

He _wasn’t_ in love with you.

He wasn’t. It would be too big, too important not to notice. He maybe wasn’t the best when it came to understanding his own anger that often erupted for no particular reason but this was something he would have realized immediately. He knew he loved his brother. It was a frustrated, broken and scarred version of that feeling but it was love nonetheless. Edge would give his life for the small skeleton without a second thought and he was certain Sans would do the same for him. This wasn’t the case with you.

Undyne was also very important to him. He loved her too, in a way. Like an annoying older sister or cousin. It was a feeling he connected to family or how ‘home’ felt like - and the passionate fish monster was a part of his home. However, whatever kind of love Edge felt for his friend, it wasn’t the same feeling he had in his soul when he was around you.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t deny there was _something_ going on with him. He wanted to make you happy and your sole presence made his soul both calm and giddy at the same time. Why did something like this happen to him? Was it because you were the first human (or even person) that acted differently around him? Or was it connected to the fact that you had found him in his most vulnerable state and gave him safety? Whatever the reason, there was something shyly blooming in him - a slowly arising devotion, attraction that made his magic hum louder in his bones and a need for your companionship. Because he wanted to be around you as often as possible.

His frantically reeling mind wasn’t helping him with this problem. A deep frown slowly crept onto his face and made him scowl as he watched buildings pass him by in the car window. He was sitting next to Papyrus in the convertible with his eye lights idly looking at the blurred roadside. His thoughts started wandering and reached much more grim regions of his mind - his past, his heritage, everything that could go wrong, a sense of danger and vulnerability he couldn’t stand. He was slowly realizing that this didn’t give him any answers about what should he do next. He was running out of time - Halloween was in two days and he begrudgingly agreed to go trick or treating with you...

“EDGE?”, a tad louder voice of his cheerful counterpart made him look away from the window.

Papyrus was still looking at the road ahead of him but the radio had been turned off and Edge could tell that his new brother was focusing on him. A low hum of the engine filled the air between them.

“ **What?** ”, he said and propped his chin on his hand.

“I ASKED IF EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT. YOU SEEM TO BE VERY DISTRACTED LATELY.”, the skeleton glanced at him but immediately went back to looking straight ahead.

Edge huffed in exasperation. “ **It’s nothing.** ”

“I APOLOGIZE FOR PRYING, BROTHER. IT’S JUST THAT AFTER A DATE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE DISTRACTED IN A _HAPPY_ WAY… YOU WORRY ME.”, the genuine concern rang clearly in his voice.

Of course, Papyrus knew about the date. It wasn’t something he could keep secret in the skeleton house, especially with that stupid lazybones in the picture. The other Sans seemed to be sharing everything with his cheerful brother, no matter what it was - and Edge’s hang out at the human fair was apparently on the list too. He couldn’t blame either of them, though he really wanted to.

“ **I said it’s _nothing_. It has _nothing_ to do with the date.** ”, he blurted with ire. He was already getting annoyed by his brother’s attention.

Papyrus looked at him for a second again. “IS THAT NOTHING GOING TO HINDER YOUR FIGHTING ABILITIES?”

“ ** _No._** ”, Edge snapped quickly, masking his uncertainty with something more familiar. Anger.

He really hoped his constant thoughts about you wouldn’t distract him from today’s training - the first training with Papyrus. He needed to be finally back to his old routine or at least he should be back to using his magic the way he did all those years. There wasn’t any interesting activity he could be doing after work that would satisfy him enough. Knitting was annoying in the long run and he had been avoiding even opening his violin case since the audition. He needed a hobby, something to occupy him and kill the time he wasn’t working or sleeping. He couldn’t hope to spend every evening with you…

He grit his teeth and pinched his nasal bone with his phalanges. This was fucking impossible.

“YOU KNOW YOU CAN ALWAYS TALK TO ME… RIGHT, BROTHER?”, he clearly heard how cautious Papyrus’ tone got.

“ **I… I know…** ”, Edge refrained from growling at him in the last second. “ **I just need to figure this out myself first.** ”

“ALRIGHT. WE’RE ALMOST THERE.”, Papyrus quickly switched topics. “WE USUALLY COME HERE WHEN THE WEATHER IS GOOD. THERE’S NOBODY AROUND FOR MILES, SO OUR MAGIC ATTACKS GO UNNOTICED.”

The red convertible stopped in the middle of a narrow country road, right next to a huge field that was enclosed with an old wooden fence. It looked like a normal place humans usually pasture their cows or horses. The only things that made this place stand out were scorch marks and deep hollows graven in the ground. The air was filled with a scent of fresh dirt and grass.

Edge examined the field while squinting a little. The whole training ground was slightly slanted but still pretty flat. There were no natural or artificial obstacles that could be used to gain advantage - the only thing he should be careful about were those uneven traces of previous trainings and the fence itself.

“READY WHEN YOU ARE, EDGE.”, Papyrus was already walking towards the training ground. His pace was energetic and confident as always.

He let out a deep sigh and followed his counterpart. “ **Shouldn’t we start with a warmup of some sorts?** ”

Papyrus jumped over the fence in one gracious move and looked over his shoulder. “BUT OF COURSE. I ASSUMED YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT ON YOUR OWN.”

“ **No, it’s… fine. It's been a while since I had some training.** ”, he grumbled and got over the fence the same way. “ **I can use a reminder or two.** ”

This statement made Papyrus smile widely at him. “WONDERFUL.”

Edge’s instinct to start the whole training with something more than a few arm swings and small magic tricks was a good one. It helped him gauge how fit Papyrus was, which hand and leg he favored and how his whole body moved - it’s always good to know those things about the enemy before even engaging. Unfortunately, his counterpart was ambidextrous and didn’t seem to favor any side more than the other. But those were important information too as this meant he wouldn’t make a mistake of underestimating his enemy at the very beginning of the fight.

He was still nervous though. It’s been over half a year since their first and only fight, yet Edge still felt a phantom touch of the skeletal hand on his neck every time he thought about it. For years, there was nobody in the Underground that could match him in fight, let alone touch any part of his spine. The fact that somebody did that with such ease was unnerving to him. Especially when he knew all too well that Papyrus wasn’t actually trying to hurt him. He felt that.

While taking his time to get ready for the main part of the training, he went over the realization he had about Papyrus and his fighting prowess. For half of his life, Edge had thought he was the strongest monster there is. He trained hard, he knew how to fight with his magic and without it, with a weapon and bare-handed. His Undyne trained with him, and by stars, she was fast to switch from a casual sparring to a pretty intense fight. But… he never pushed himself to his limits.

He couldn’t. His world didn’t allow him to use up all his magic, to overexert himself, to build more stamina and strength. This would require him being vulnerable for the time of recovery and that wasn’t something he could afford in his Underground. All his trust in Undyne and faith in his brother couldn’t ever replace a safe feeling of his magic humming confidently in his bones.

But Papyrus… he had a safe world to grow up in. There wasn’t any imminent danger or any stupid punk waiting to dust him the moment he would seem weak enough. He could train all day until he collapsed from exhaustion - and that was precisely what he did during his time in the Underground. Edge's counterpart got even better while on the Surface, as he never stopped training and learning new abilities.

Papyrus trained out of passion, Edge did it out of necessity… and the difference between them was huge. There was probably no chance for the scarred skeleton to even reach his counterpart’s prowess - not with his young years spent in such unforgiving environment - but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try. Starting today.

“ **I’m ready** **.** ”, Edge stated and summoned a big bone club straight into his hand.

Papyrus perked up at this, clearly eager to already start the sparring and he took a few steps back while using his own magic to prepare for the fight. Two long white bones materialized in his hands as he assumed the position. To Edge’s relief, the cheerful skeleton was smiling at him - the stone cold expression he remembered from their last fight still sometimes haunted him.

They both stood still for a few moments, staring each other down - one with a focused scowl, the other with an excited smile. Edge understood that he had to move first, which wasn’t that appealing to him. He was usually the one who waited for the enemy’s first move, to quickly choose the best tactics for a fool that decided to attack him head-on. This time was different, everything here was different. Edge gripped the bone club harder and without more stalling, he immediately rushed towards Papyrus.

His mind idly registered how soft the ground was under his feet as he swiftly aimed his bone club at his counterpart’s head. As he knew this wouldn’t be enough to actually pose a threat to Papyrus, he stopped mid-step his attack to summon a flurry of white bones from behind his enemy and swung his weapon at his arm, aiming to attack the other skeleton from two sides at the same time. It wasn’t as effective as he had hoped but it made Papyrus swiftly move away from his path and avoid the bones flying in his direction.

Papyrus took a few steps back after that and sharply reflected the second set of bones that were speeding at his chest with a loud whoosh. His moves were quick and precise and his eye lights were glued to Edge. He stopped another blow with his weapons and took yet another step back. The scarred skeleton noticed with an angry grimace that his counterpart was gauging his skills and looking for an opening.

Papyrus’ switch from defense to offense was so abrupt that Edge had almost missed it. Only thanks to his sharpened instincts he managed to back away from three quick blows that aimed at his head, left arm, and right knee. But his enemy didn’t stop after that, relentlessly coming at him with powerful swings that whistled in the air right next to his skull. Before Edge had a chance to respond to that in any way, the cheerful skeleton summoned his own magical bones that broke through the ground and were aimed at his side.

Edge hissed when he felt the pain of the blue attack when he moved through one to avoid getting hit by Papyrus’ blunt bones and he quickly jumped away to put some space between himself and the attacker. He didn’t have much time to think about another tactic, so he decided to keep his distance from Papyrus for now. His counterpart was terrifyingly quick and his shorter weapons made him dangerous in close combat.

His plan wasn’t as easy as it sounded though. Keeping Papyrus away was yet another challenge as he was very good at dodging his magical attacks while still closing in with every bone he gracefully evaded. Edge was feeling how draining it was for him to send a flurry after flurry at his brother - his magic was depleting quickly and he had yet to hit Papyrus even once. He had to drop this strategy if he hoped for any chance to land even one blow.

Papyrus was still dead set on closing the distance between both fighting skeletons and getting back into close combat, so Edge just let him. The next wave of bones that his counterpart was still evading suddenly disappeared and the scarred skeleton was already attacking Papyrus while he was still mid-air. The prize was a slightly surprised expression on the cheerful skeleton’s face, but that lasted just a split second. A wide and eager smile flashed at Edge a second before he got smacked into the chest by two big bones that appeared from behind Papyrus.

He hit the ground and rolled a few meters with a loud clatter of his bones. Some dirt got into is nasal cavity but he ignored it for the sake of immediately getting up and facing his enemy. He couldn’t lie on the ground, that was equal to getting dusted. He picked himself up quickly and pushed away from where he knew his enemy was standing to keep himself safe until he got his balance and focus back. But Papyrus didn’t attack.

“THAT WAS VERY GOOD!”, he said happily while swirling both of his weapons in his hands. He kept his distance for the time being. “YOU ALMOST GOT ME THERE, BROTHER.”

Edge was panting heavily, his weapon gripped so tightly his phalanges scrunched against the magic bone. It took him a few seconds, but he calmed down a little - enough to remember they were just sparring.

He was prepared for getting his ass kicked by Papyrus, especially after almost two years of moping in his room or aggressively riding his motorcycle - that’s no way to train your fighting skills after all. Or at least, he thought he was ready for that. What he couldn’t be prepared for was how scary it was to be losing. It wasn’t just his pride that got damaged when he ended up on the ground. His magic surged in him in an awfully familiar response to a deadly threat. He _hated_ this feeling.

He grimaced at the dull pain throbbing in his chest where the bones hit him (not something he wasn’t used to) and glared at Papyrus. “ **Again.** ”, he spat while trying to get rid of the dirt from his face.

The cheerful skeleton just nodded and this time he didn’t wait for Edge to attack first. Fortunately, the scarred skeleton was ready for something like that - he sometimes used this tactic to throw the enemy off - still, Papyrus was too damn fast. His attacks were always very close to hitting him and with every dodge and response Edge felt he was being pushed backward. With irritation, he noticed that his counterpart had him exactly where he wanted - backing away from him, focused solely on reflecting the attacks.

With a growl, Edge summoned a wall of red bones between them and forced his counterpart to stop just before hitting it. The next thing he heard was a sound of bones springing from the ground behind him and he instinctively ducked before any of the blue attacks hit him. He rolled away from the trap that both red and blue bones created before jumping to attack Papyrus again.

This didn’t work as well as the first time but that wasn’t the point. Edge hoped to occupy his enemy with himself and got ready to attack him from both sides with magic attacks. It seemed to work for a while as Papyrus had to block the bone club with both of his weapons. The moment the cheerful skeleton braced himself for yet another heavy blow was the one Edge chose to use his magic. He didn’t have a chance to execute his plan, however, as the other skeleton suddenly crouched down only to ram into Edge’s sternum with his shoulder. He dropped his weapon in the process - it was useless when the enemy was this close.

He didn’t allow himself to be pushed away. Instead, he quickly grabbed his attacker and decided to hold him still while summoning his attacks anyways. The buzzing sound of charging magic filled the air around them as he felt that Papyrus decided to do the same a second later. Both of them jumped away from each other as the flurry of white, blue and red bones hit the ground they were standing on a second ago. The grass and dirt almost exploded from the strength of that combined attack, leaving a deep hole in the middle of the training ground.

Edge was already tired and felt how draining it was for him to use so much of his magic. He still wasn’t done yet. He summoned another bone club - a shorter one this time - and was ready to get back into fight again.

It didn't take long for Papyrus to hit him hard enough to send him flying to the ground again. He picked himself up slower this time, his new weapon still in his tight grasp. Despite the fact he was already sweating from exertion, Edge still wanted to try.

“ **Again…** ”, he breathed.

Papyrus cocked his head to the side and frowned a little. “AREN’T YOU PUSHING YOURSELF TOO MUCH, EDGE? IT’S A FIRST SPARRING YOU HAVE WITH ME, WE DON’T NEED TO GO ALL-OUT ALREADY.”

There was a slightly concerned tone in his voice that irritated Edge. He didn’t need patronizing now. Not today. He needed to feel that rush of magic he always had while fighting. He needed to occupy his thoughts and body with something. He needed to tire himself enough to be able to sleep, _not_ to think about what was he going to do with his feelings towards you or how to deal with his fucked up relationship with Sans.

“ **I _need_ a distraction.** ”, he huffed at him.

“I SEE.”, Papyrus said after a short moment of silence. “MY BROTHER TOLD ME YOU WANTED TO TALK TO FRISK.”

With this statement, the cheerful skeleton attacked him again. His moves were slightly slower, as Edge noticed, but it was hard to tell if it was because of the conversation Papyrus was trying to have with him while sparring or for a different reason. Despite this, he still had hard time keeping up with his training partner.

“ **Yes…** ”, he answered in between evading a quick swing aimed at his shoulder and responding with a strong blow to Papyrus’ side. “ **... I wanted to ask them about something. Personally.** ”

The cheerful skeleton dodged and tried to flank Edge right after that. “ABOUT _______’S WISH LIST, CORRECT?”

Edge nodded and took a few big steps away to summon a new wall of bones to temporarily stop Papyrus from relentlessly attacking him. He needed a second to gather his focus.

“ **That kid was always around during Halloween.** ”, he said a little louder as he braced himself for another flurry of quick attacks.

“THAT IS TRUE.”, Papyrus breathed as his weapons slammed into Edge’s club. He was slowly getting tired too, sweat drops started appearing on his skull. “BUT THIS YEAR I HAVE SOME IMPORTANT MATTERS TO ATTEND TO AT THE EMBASSY AND I WOULDN'T HAVE ANY TIME TO SPARE TO SPEND IT WITH MY FAVORITE HUMAN FRIEND.”, he said quickly and pushed Edge away. “WE HAD TO CHANGE PLANS, UNFORTUNATELY. I PROMISED TO MAKE UP FOR THAT NEXT YEAR.”

Edge charged at him immediately and swung a few times before summoning another wall of red bones between them. “ **Ah. That’s too bad.** ”

Papyrus was already trying to reach him with his own attack but a suddenly appearing obstacle forced him to slow down enough to go around it. “MAYBE NOT… DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR HALLOWEEN, EDGE?”

“ **What…?** ”, that question, with the possible meaning hiding behind it, caught him by surprise - just like the strong strike that reached his femur when he was too occupied with Papyrus’ words. “ **Shit!** ”

“LANGUAGE, BROTHER.”, the cheerful skeleton chided him and attacked again, not giving him any chance to recover. The swings got slower but somehow they felt heavier this time. Or maybe Edge was getting too tired for this kind of training.

“I ASKED IF YOU ARE FREE ON HALLOWEEN.”, Papyrus repeated. “MAYBE FRISK COULD COME VISIT US ANYWAY? IT WOULD GIVE YOU A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THEM YOUR QUESTION.”, he continued after Edge managed to avoid a swing that hit the ground with a loud thud.

“ **I-I… actually promised to go with _______.** ”, the scarred skeleton stuttered slightly as he backed away from his attacker.

“OH REALLY?”, Papyrus smiled as if this was exactly what he wanted to hear. “AND WOULD IT BE TRICK OR TREATING TOO?”

Edge took a few steps away again, quickly losing his focus on the sparring altogether. That sly glint in his counterpart’s eye sockets told him that he stepped right into his trap. And it wasn’t connected to the training at all.

“ **Yes…** ”, he said cautiously.

The cheerful skeleton began almost casually walking around Edge while twirling one of his bone weapons in his hand. “IT MAY BE A LITTLE TOO STRAIGHTFORWARD IDEA, BROTHER… BUT HOW ABOUT TAKING THEM _BOTH_ WITH YOU?”, he asked with a much wider smile. “THIS WAY FRISK WILL HAVE THEIR FUN AND YOU’LL FULFILL _______’S WISH.”

Edge was about to charge at him but the words he heard made him stop mid-step. “ **… Are you _serious_? You want me to take care of the kid for the whole evening? _Me_?** ”

“AND WHY NOT?”, his counterpart chuckled and idly swung his weapon a few times. “THEY KNOW YOU. AND AS LONG AS I PUT MY FRIEND’S SAFETY IN STRONG AND CAPABLE HANDS, I HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, DO I?”

Edge couldn’t deny that Papyrus had a point. That small human knew him, in a way. They never talked to each other and that obnoxious lazybones was always glaring at him if he got too close but he wasn’t a stranger to Frisk. Besides… if he was really tasked with keeping the kid safe, there was no way he would allow anybody harm a hair on their head. He would never even think of betraying Papyrus’ trust like that. It was uplifting to hear that his new brother believed in him so much and Edge couldn’t afford to lose this.

“ **That _does_ sound reasonable…** ”, the scarred skeleton reluctantly agreed. Though there was still just one problem he decided to voice. “ **What about your brother?** ”

“OH, LET _ME_ HANDLE SANS.”, Papyrus stopped walking and faced him, clearly awaiting his final decision.

Edge looked at the ground between them to gather his thoughts. This did sound like a good idea. You really wanted to go trick or treating with him, especially when he admitted he never took part in this strange custom, but it would be only for the evening. You still had The Miserable Lot’s first concert to attend to - and it was around midnight. He could easily make some rounds around the monster neighborhood and still manage to give you a ride to the club after the kid went to sleep. And… it would make you happy. He wanted to see you smile again, just like you did when he had shown you his magic.

All this training and distraction... and he still ended up thinking about you. “ **Fine. I’ll take them.** ”, he huffed, not having the strength to be annoyed with himself anymore.

“THAT’S FANTASTIC. I’LL MAKE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS WHEN WE GET HOME.”, Papyrus was grinning widely for a moment but then his stance changed again. He looked at Edge with a smirk. “SHALL WE GET BACK TO TRAINING?”

* * *

 The good thing about this whole training was that Papyrus didn’t go easy on him while simultaneously not giving his all. Edge was grateful for that first part - he really needed a reminder that he could be hurt and the beating he got from his counterpart helped in making that important reality check. He was also glad he lasted longer than he anticipated. That meant he still had some of his strength and stamina even after those two years of idly sitting on his coccyx and complaining about the broken machine.

It was hard to think about anything else when Papyrus was charging at him and the longer their sparring went, the harder he needed to focus on using his magic, so essentially, he had managed to successfully distract himself. That was exactly what he hoped to achieve today. Well… almost. He wished he was able to hit the cheerful skeleton at least once. But he still had time for this. His new brother was fascinated with various human martial arts and was a great fighter, so actually reaching him with even one blow would be a big achievement Edge was willing to work hard for.

At least, that’s what he thought despite all of his body complaining about the numerous bruises and the dizziness ringing in his skull. The latter was because of all the magic he had used up, as Papyrus assured him. Edge indeed felt spent. He would be surprised if he managed to summon something bigger than a few pathetic bones now. He didn’t feel particularly safe with that but he knew he had to fight this feeling if he wants to get better faster.

When they arrived home, Papyrus immediately grabbed his phone to make arrangements regarding Halloween and Edge went straight to the bathroom to take a long shower. He abhorred the feeling of dirt stuck between his bones and in his joints. He usually showered very quickly but today he decided to indulge himself for a change. He allowed the warm stream of water to fall onto his skull and spine long enough to completely wash away the disgusting mud and torn grass.

When he finally sat down at his desk in his room, he felt... good. Of course, he was exhausted and there was very little magic left for him to use, but he was satisfied with himself today. Edge tiredly turned on the computer to work a little on translating your list - which was unreasonably long - but a whiny squeaking attracted his attention.

“ **Alright…** ”, he rolled his eye lights as he leaned down to pick up the kitten that was trying to shinny up his leg. He held her close to his bony face for a while. “ **Don’t think I didn’t notice the mess you’ve made, you little shit.** ”, he murmured to her and scratched the animal gently under the chin.

After getting headbutted by the cat, Edge placed her on his lap and focused on the screen. One of his hands was still occupied with petting the white fur, just to keep the feisty creature in place. He needed to get her some new toys and perhaps try to find a way to let her safely wander around the house. One small room was too cramped for a kitten with so much energy. Day after day, the skeleton grew fond of the cat's presence in his life and accepted that she was always hogging his fluffiest pillow. Edge was getting more and more reluctant to find a new home for the kitten.

An hour or so had passed. He checked the clock to make sure he still had enough time to calmly walk to the abandoned building. He had plans to go to the last lesson with Toby before the Miserable Lot plays their first concert on Halloween. Edge was honestly feeling too tired for that but he knew that his small human friend would be waiting for him. Besides, they agreed on trying something new this time and the skeleton was curious about what song did the drummer choose.

Edge gently moved the sleeping cat onto his bed and he started getting ready to leave. While searching for his leather jacket in the wardrobe, he noticed his violin case stuffed in the very far corner. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided against taking the instrument with him. There still was no point… he hadn't lost his interest in playing at all but it was still hard to even think about trying. Maybe later he would ask Toby whether he knew some arrangements for a piano and violin. This could prove motivating enough to pick up playing yet again.

The air was chilly this evening as there was no sun all day and the sky already began turning gray. It was getting dark very quickly, especially between those big apartment buildings that filled the neighborhood. It took Edge a little longer than anticipated to reach the rehearsal room this time. Walking up the stairs in his state was annoyingly draining - he had never had any trouble with that before - but he finally reached his destination. He grabbed the doorknob to let himself into the room, but nothing happened.

For a second there, Edge thought he was on the wrong floor. He even looked around in search for familiar cracks on the walls and patterns that were left after the old paint had fallen off of the ceiling - everything was where it was supposed to be. The only thing that was off was the door. It was locked.

It was a first to see the door to the rehearsal room closed like that, as there was always somebody in the room or somewhere near to keep an eye on the stuff inside. Edge knew the humans secured their musical instruments when the rehearsals ended. Only an idiot would leave them unattended in this neighborhood. But… the skeleton couldn’t think of any reason why this was the case now. He was almost certain there was one last rehearsal planned for today. Perhaps the Miserable Lot decided to take it easy for those last two days before the concert and rest properly? That would explain the locked door. As for the small drummer…

He remembered with a small smirk how Greater Dog used to be often late for the trainings he held for the entire Canine Squad back when he was the Captain of the Royal Guard. It was getting notorious and Edge had almost lost his patience after a week or so… until he had figured it out that the annoying mutt did that only to spend less time on training. The whole ruse ended when he made sure to keep the lazy dog monster longer after the other subordinates were free to go. It worked immediately. Nobody was late for the trainings ever again. He smirked a little at this memory while pulling out his phone from his pocket.

**Edge:** If you think getting late for our lesson will make it shorter, you’re gravely mistaken.

The skeleton wasn’t actually angry at Toby while typing this message. The drummer had a lot to deal with, especially with the concert being so close… and perhaps with whatever was still going on in his life. After he hit send, Edge shook his head a little, a little smirk appearing on his face. He really hoped that the small human knew th-

His soul froze and his thoughts stopped immediately when he heard a barely audible buzzing coming from the corridor that led to the ruined bathroom. With his phone still in his hand, the skeleton slowly walked to the ugly ‘crying room’ as he named it in his head. He peeked inside, almost certain he would notice a familiar small frame curled up next to the wall but there was nobody there.

With a deep frown on his face, he took a slow step inside. Broken tiles and glass scrunched under his heavy boots as he stopped in the middle of the room. The silence was the only thing he heard and that made him feel uneasy for some reason. He quickly looked at his phone and tapped another message.

**Edge:** I’m waiting, drum boy.

A low buzzing coming from one of the ruined stalls attracted his attention and confirmed his not-so-happy suspicions. Still cautious though, Edge took two steps towards the sound. Only when he squinted his eyes and leaned more he finally saw it - there was a small black backpack stuffed in the darkest corner of one of the ruined stalls, right next to something that looked like a tattered sleeping bag. He didn’t need to send another message to be sure those belonged to Toby. He knew this backpack, he saw it many times already. The small human had attached a small reflective keychain to it a few lessons ago and it was there. Stupid yellow smiling face, looking straight at Edge. Mocking him for missing something so obvious. Something he should have noticed.

With his skull filled with grim questions, the skeleton immediately walked out of the ruined bathroom to look for the human on the floor he was currently on.

“ **Drum boy…?** ”, he called with a bit hoarse voice as he looked inside some other rooms. But nobody answered.

Edge rushed to the stairs without a second thought. His boots were pounding heavily on every step. He made sure to stop every flight of stairs to listen whether somebody was using the elevator but the situation hadn’t changed all the way down to the bottom of the building. When he saw there was nobody in the entrance hall, he was outside in a matter of seconds. His soul was squirming in his chest with worry.

Why did the human hide his stuff in there? Was he really sleeping in that awful place or did he just stash it there for later? What had happened in his life that he was forced to keep a fucking sleeping bag hidden? No matter what were the real answers to those questions that were pounding in Edge’s skull right now, what he saw was unthinkable for him. Toby had friends, for fuck’s sake. He could have turned to them for help. He could have asked _Edge_ for help.

The skeleton decided to walk around the building first - he was alone, so there was no way for him to do a proper sweep around the closest surroundings. Despite the chilly weather, there were some other humans loitering around but he paid them no mind. He was walking fast and looking around in search for a familiar small frame stuffed into a checkered hoodie. He didn’t even notice the empty can he kicked on his way that still had some beer in it which stained his pants in the process. He was in the middle of dialing the drum boy’s number anyway. If Toby comes back to his belongings, he would surely answer the phone, right?

When he didn’t find any sign of his small human friend in the near vicinity of the familiar block, Edge took a turn towards a less frequented alley - it was a bit darker and messier, but it was still a shortcut between two bigger clusters of apartment buildings. Fortunately, he took his time before to at least learn how the streets looked like in this neighborhood, so it was easier for him to plan any possible search route. He wasn’t planning on going too far - Toby might come back at any given moment - but he was dead set on making sure he didn’t miss anything. He was still listening to the dull signal in his phone when he felt something that made him react immediately.

His instincts kicked in and he barely avoided getting hit by an almost empty bottle. He managed to move away in time, though it smashed to pieces on the wall next to him and splashed the remaining alcohol on his leather jacket and face. He turned around to face his adversary and saw three humans blocking the alley he just passed, walking casually in his direction.

“Ya missed him, dude!”, complained the smallest but wider human. “My turn!”

The skeleton grit his teeth at the sight of another bottle being thrown straight at him. It was far easier to dodge this time as that fucker had a very poor aim but it pissed Edge off nonetheless. Stupid fucking humans with their stupid fucking attitude towards monsters. _Fuck_.

“ **I’m not looking for trouble.** ”, he said calmly while squeezing his phone in his hand.

There were times when he had no problems with outright attacking humans when they behaved high and mighty like that. Some of them got even heavily beaten by him because of their attitude or because Edge thought they were a danger to him or his brother. There were also a few he punched for some comments when he felt like doing so after a particularly shitty day. However, he never attacked from behind and kept all the fights between him and the human he was currently trying to beat into the pulp but that didn’t help at all when the lawsuits came. After a few of those, Papyrus had a long and _quiet_ talk with him. He had to stop this kind of behavior because it would ultimately end in more trouble for the monsterkind and him being probably locked somewhere.

Edge had learned to avoid those fights later, though he still wanted to hurt somehumans. He felt they _deserved_ it. He knew it was easier and safer for him to be feared than accepted. Those humans that stood right in front of him were the same. But this time… he didn’t have strength nor time for that. Toby might need him right fucking now, he couldn’t waste time and energy on some idiots.

“Yeah, you do. You’re walking on our street.”, said the thin human in a spiteful tone. “ _Our_ street, hear that?”

Edge immediately figured out that this one was the shot-caller in the group. The other humans were looking at him from time to time, probably waiting for a sign to do anything. The skeleton tried to stay calm and assessed the situation as he always did.

There were three of them. One looked like the less agile type but Edge didn’t allow himself to underestimate his fighting abilities yet. This guy also had a rusty metal pipe - currently propped on the back of his neck in a laid-back manner that probably meant to be intimidating. The shot-caller was lanky but looked like he was in a few fights in his life if a broken nose could be some sort of proof of that. He had a tattered baseball bat and was standing closest to the skeleton. The third guy seemed like a weak link as he didn’t look so pleased with the encounter. No weapon visible, no talking... He still had his bottle of alcohol in his hand though.

It was a difficult situation. Edge had no magic to spare and was outnumbered. He feared that using more than one bigger attack now might drain him to the point of losing consciousness and that would be the end for him. He could be able to take down one of the humans somehow but he doubted he had the energy for more than that. There was a very little chance the others would flee if he took down the leader. He could try and intimidate them to leave him the fuck alone but he doubted it would work... the _will to hurt_ was almost oozing from the lanky guy.

“We’re gonna show you your place, you fuckin’ zombie”, the shot-caller spat on the ground and swung his weapon menacingly.

Edge had to resist the urge to roll his eye lights. Boy, wasn’t that something he’d heard before a thousand times. “ **And it’s in a grave, I assume. Almost imaginative, human.** ”, he couldn’t stop himself from snapping back.

He should not have said that. It only pissed the lanky human off and made him immediately take a swing at Edge. The monster managed to back away from the weapon before it even posed any threat to him but the dirty wall behind his back was too close for his tastes.

Edge raised his hands slightly and tried to back away towards the other end of the alley. “ **It’s your street then. I’m on my way, humans.** ”

“Oh no no no. You’re staying. We’re gonna have fun now with you.”, after a sharp nod, the other humans joined the shot-caller and tried to surround the skeleton.

Seemed like the only thing left to do for Edge was to run like a pathetic coward. His attention hastily snapped from one human to another, as he tried to choose the best way between them to flee before they cut off any reasonable way out. Just as he was already getting ready to jump past the weakest link, the shot-caller cried out in pain and pressed his free hand to his head.

“Le-leave him a-alone!”, a feisty but familiar voice rang in the air.

Before the humans managed to pinpoint the source of the weak voice, another stone flew straight at the lanky human. He covered his face in time though but the projectile still hit him. Edge turned his head in the direction the stone was thrown from too, not less dumbfounded than the pricks that had him surrounded. The heavy feeling that weighed his soul disappeared as soon as he recognized the person standing there.

There he was. Unharmed. The small drummer was standing close to the end of the alley, with more stones in his trembling hands that were clearly ready to be thrown again. His shoulders were hunched significantly but his pose was almost menacing in a way. A bag with groceries was lying right behind him, currently completely forgotten.

Only then, in this one moment Edge understood why humans were considered a threat for all of the monsterkind. Not because of the three wimps that attacked him while thinking one lone monster was defenseless enough to mess with. No. Something like that was almost a daily routine in his Underground - stupid punks, overzealous kids, desperate monsters… there was always someone. He had his encounters with similar fuckers on the Surface too. The reason for his sudden revelation was entirely different. He finally saw it. It was staring at him from the far end of the alley, burning brightly in Toby’s eyes like the Sun itself.

_Determination._

The one his brother and the other Sans were sometimes talking about. The one that was used by a mere child to walk through the monster-filled Underground and break the Barrier itself. The one that allowed human souls to persist after death. Something that could even melt magical bodies of monsters. This power, this determination… It was truly terrifying. If even the smallest and the weakest humans had access to it and could be this determined in the face of an overwhelming danger…

Edge _understood_. Monsters didn’t stand a chance. His Underground was still dead set on waging another war against humankind but they wouldn’t survive it. They wouldn't even last a day.

“Ow!”, the shot-caller backed away from Toby when yet another stone reached his arm. There was blood on his forehead from the first stone that hit him. “Are you crazy, you little bitch?!”

That didn’t stop the small human at all. “Go a-away!”, he shouted.

The drummer was relentless in his attacks and had a pretty good aim that surprised Edge. He threw the stones quickly, choosing mostly the human that was standing closest to the monster. The skeleton was still shocked with what he saw - both with the sheer determination in his little friend’s eyes and by the whole scene that unfolded right in front of his very own eye lights.

“Fuck...! _Stop it_! Mike, get him!”, the wounded human yelled at his sidekick while pointing his finger at Toby.

The wide human rushed after the drummer, his rusty pipe ready to be used, and this time Toby stopped throwing the stones. The boy was already turning around to run from the attacker, but the groceries he left on the ground tangled between his feet. After one wobbly step that ended up on a soda can, he fell face down on the ground with a pained yelp.

Edge was too far to reach him, he knew that. Even if he wasn't being attacked by the shot-caller of that stupid fucking gang or whatever the fuck those pricks were, he didn’t have time to get to his friend. He had a feeling that one hit could severely hurt or even kill the little human. This sight - a dangerous human getting closer to Toby, already taking a swing to hit him with the pipe - had awakened something raw and primal in the bottom of Edge’s soul. An anger that always burned deep within him immediately emerged and snapped him out of the shock. **_He wasn’t going to let anything happen to him._** He was now so focused on saving Toby he almost didn’t notice the lanky human taking a swing at him. Almost.

On instinct, the skeleton blocked the heavy blow of the baseball bat with his right forearm bones. The wooden weapon crashed into his ulna but his mind was too occupied with the sight of a rusty pipe being held over the drummer's head to actually register the pain of that hit. In a split second, Edge made the best tactical decision he could have come up with and executed it without a further thought.

“ **TOBY!** ”, he yelled while reaching towards him with his free hand.

The mere gesture seemed helpless for the outsiders but Edge summoned his remaining magic and used this motion to focus on channeling it properly. Feeling the urge to remove Toby from harm’s way as quickly as possible, he grabbed the small human’s soul and immediately pulled the boy towards him. Toby flew in the air like a ragdoll, fortunately avoiding getting smacked with the pipe the same second.

The small body hit Edge straight in the chest but the skeleton didn’t even budge. The drummer was fairly light and the skeleton let out both a relieved and exhausted sigh when he could wrap his left arm protectively around him. He had him now and wasn’t going to let anybody touch him. _Over his dusted body_.

His lanky attacker either didn’t notice what happened or decided to ignore the alarmed shout of his stupid colleague as he took another swing at Edge. The skeleton, with a _kill or be killed_ fire reawakened in his soul turned quickly at him and grabbed the end of the baseball bat into his right hand before the attack hit him again. He growled menacingly at the shot-caller that tried to free his weapon and summoned the rest of his strength to squeeze the wood so hard it broke into splinters in his bare hand. The trembling body pressed safely to his chest was all he needed to achieve _that_.

The sound of the baseball bat falling apart in the monster’s grip was the last straw that made the other humans hesitate before finally backing away. The one that kept away from the whole violence but did nothing to stop his colleagues was the first to break.

“I’m gettin’ outta here.”, he muttered and turned around while dropping his beer bottle on the ground. It shattered and the glass jangled loudly on the uneven and trash-filled pavement.

The guy with the pipe was second to flee, almost catching up to his cowardly friend after a few hastened strides. With a hateful expression on his face, the lanky shot-caller decided to make off too. Edge kept glaring at their backs, wishing he had more magic to make them suffer for their transgression, until they disappeared from his line of sight. Only when he was sure the threat had completely disappeared, he turned to the boy he held with one arm.

“ **Are you hurt…?** ”, the skeleton asked Toby in a hoarse voice while leaning closer to him.

The boy was staring into the distance, pale like a sheet and with his hand pressed firmly to his chest. Edge noticed he had blood covered scuff on his chin and his lips were trembling almost as much as his small body. He didn’t answer nor react to the skeleton’s question.

“ **Hey, look at me.** ”, he spoke to him a little louder. “ **Are you hurt? Did I… Did I hurt you?** ”

The idea that his magic might have some unforeseen but dire consequences dawned at Edge and grabbed his soul with icy cold talons of dread. He didn’t have time to control his magic at that moment, he _had_ to act. What if he overdid it? What if he damaged his friend’s soul? How do even human souls work with this kind of magic? The mere thought Edge did more harm than good by trying to save his friend terrified him.

“ **TOBY!** ”, the skeleton snapped at the human after yet another moment of silence. That seemed to work.

“Wh… I… I… what…?”, the boy looked at him with his eyes opened wide and clearly shocked.

Edge resisted the urge to sigh at this with relief. “ **Are you fucking hurt? Did I hurt you?** ”, he growled, still unable to control his worry in any way.

Toby blinked a few times and shook his head while squeezing the clothes on his chest tighter. “N-no…”

The skeleton, while still pressing the drummer’s side to his chest, reluctantly reached with his right hand towards him. “ **Are you sure...? You keep holding your chest…** ”, he said in a much lower tone, his brow bones scrunched in worry.

This was the moment the small human finally snapped out of the weird shocked daze he was since Edge looked at him. It was hard to tell what actually caused him to act so spaced out but it was clear it was slowly subsiding. Toby immediately let go of his chest and pressed his arm to his thigh.

“It’s ok.”, he mumbled while averting his gaze.

“ **Are you in pain?** ”, Edge insisted.

The boy shook his head a few times. “N-no. I’m fine… it’s fine.”, he muttered quieter and squirmed a little in the skeleton’s grasp.

He took it as a sign to finally let him go. Edge leaned even more to let the human touch the ground with both of his feet and relaxed his grip. Something in his soul didn’t allow him to fully let go of Toby though. He needed to keep him close, he couldn’t help himself.

It turned out that was a good idea because the small human wobbled on his feet and for a second there was a pained grimace on his scuffed face. He tried to pretend that it didn’t happen and placed a hand on Edges chest to free himself fully, but the skeleton wasn’t buying it.

“ **Can you walk?** ”, he looked at the human’s feet with a frown.

Toby stopped pushing him away but his head was lowered and his voice barely audible. “Y-yeah. I guess.”

His words finally made Edge snap after the whole situation. All the emotions that were restlessly buzzing in his soul, all his worry, anger, tiredness and that fucking dizziness he felt exploded in him all at once. Toby was _lying_ to him, straight in the face.

“ **...stars have fucking mercy on me…** ”, the skeleton growled angrily and without further coddling, he leaned down to pick the human up, bridal style. He felt a strain on his right forearm and the pain radiating from his ulna awakened in full force. He grit his teeth and ignored it for now. “ **Come on. I’m taking you home. There’s no way I’ll allow you to stay in this dump.** ”, he seethed.

The small body he held against his chest stiffened significantly but he was way too pissed off to pay it any mind. After straightening himself up, he needed a while to fight off the dizziness again and was off immediately.

The boy squirmed uncomfortably in his arms again. “B… but…”

“ ** _My_ home. I’m not that dense.** ”, he glared at him and the human quickly lowered his head, his ears already getting red.

The anger actually helped him to fight off the annoying pain and that fucking light-headedness that came and went in waves. He already felt that the lack of magic in his body made his bones getting feverish. He really hoped that he had enough strength to walk all that way. The will to protect that little shit he had in his arms was still burning strong in his soul. It should be enough for that short walk.

“... y-you don’t have to carry me…”, Toby blurted out.

Edge stopped in his tracks only to stare at the boy and take a few seconds to try and calm down. It didn’t work.

“ **Shut the fuck up, you wimp!** ”, he yelled at him and felt how the boy curled up in his arms in response.

He resumed his walk, keeping his step confident, not to attract yet another group of self-righteous disgusting humans. Edge was unbelievably pissed off at… actually everything this time. At himself, for being so pathetic and weak after one fucking training with Papyrus that he wasn’t able to stand for himself. At those annoying pricks that bothered to attack him only for actually walking around that dirty neighborhood. And at Toby. That stupid, weak, hopeless, determined little human for stepping in and almost getting killed.

Edge was about to say something about that to him but he shut his teeth the moment he heard a very quiet sniffle coming from the boy in his arms. He looked down at the messed up dark hair that was obstructing his view but did nothing to hide two wet streaks running down the boy’s cheeks. His will to berate his friend for his behavior dissipated when the skeleton understood that the drummer was crying.

Impulsively, he tightened the grip he had on the small shoulder and pressed the boy’s fragile body closer to his chest. It was stupid but it felt _right_ to do that.

“ **You’re brave, drum boy.** ”, he said softly to the crying human.

Almost as if this was what he was supposed to say and do, Toby cuddled up to him and dug his small hand into the fabric of Edge’s shirt. The skeleton wanted to add something else, but the words eluded him at that moment. He decided to stay silent, not to ruin the boy’s fickle sense of security with his rough demeanor.

“Y-you mean it…?”, a weak voice asked after a while.

Edge let out a deep sigh before answering. “ **You know I’m an asshole. I don’t sugarcoat shit.** ”

* * *

 Papyrus was the one to answer the door.

“EDGE, WHAT…?”, the pleasantly surprised smile on his face disappeared the moment he laid his eye lights on them.

The road to the skeletons’ house took way longer than it should, despite the fact that Edge chose the shortest route to get there. He was still carrying the small human in his arms when he finally reached the doorstep and urged Toby to use the bell. He knew that everybody should be home by this hour - it was yet another movie evening Papyrus liked to hold at least once a week. The scarred skeleton was supposed to join them later, after the music lesson, but…

“ **We were attacked.** ”, Edge snapped at him and walked inside the house, elbowing Papyrus to urge him to make way for them.

His tall brother moved away and closed the door behind him. The scarred skeleton hastily walked to the living room, not even bothering to think about the dirt his heavy boots may carry in. His right arm was already killing him and his imagination told him that his bones could snap any second if he held the boy for much longer.

Not wanting to actually feel how his ulna breaks from the strain, he glared at the lazybones that was sitting in the armchair. “ **Move** **.** ”, he growled in a commanding tone.

The moment the other Sans got off his seat, Edge put the drummer there and immediately grabbed his own forearm with a low hiss. His bones were still in one piece as far as he could feel but it hurt like _hell_. Edge turned his attention to his small friend though. The boy wrapped his arms around his chest and only then Edge had noticed that the human had blood on the elbow of his sleeve. He must have hurt himself when he fell while running from that fucking prick.

“ **You’re safe here, drum boy.** ”, he said in a firm tone and glanced at Papyrus who was already walking towards them. With all the skeletons at home, this room was the safest place on the Surface as far as Edge was concerned.

“ **Ya** **_hurt_** **, bro?** ”, his brother was already by his side, reluctantly reaching out to the wounded skeleton in a worried gesture.

Edge moved his arm away before Sans actually managed to touch him. “ **It’ll heal. It’s nothing serious.** ”, he seethed through his fangs, too tired to even think about lying now. “ **Toby is hurt too. He couldn’t walk and-** ”

“ ** _Who did that? W h e r e  a r e  t h e y ?_** ”, Sans’ voice was getting close to a furious growl.

Edge raised his hand to impulsively smack him on the skull but stopped before he went through with that abusive gesture. The smaller skeleton didn’t even flinch this time, clearly too occupied with the fact that somebody dared to touch his little brother.

“ **Stop it.** ”, he hissed at him instead while pressing his hand back against his forearm. “ **Not now, Sans…** ”, he added in a clearly exhausted tone and that quenched the angry fire in his brother’s eye sockets. For now at least.

Edge turned his attention back to the boy who was currently staring at the three unfamiliar skeletons with a wide-eyed expression. It was hard to tell whether Toby was scared or just shocked to see so many monsters at once, now all focused on him. The drummer cowered a little when Papyrus closed in and kneeled before the armchair.

“I HAVE BEEN AROUND HUMANS A LOT AND I CAN TEND TO LIGHT INJURIES... IF YOU ALLOW ME?”, the cheerful skeleton’s voice was still loud though much more gentle when he addressed the boy. “OF COURSE, WE CAN CALL AN AMBULANCE TOO, IF YOU WILL.”

The drummer shook his head nervously. “N-no… no ambulance… a-and I’m… I’m okay.”, he mumbled while his face immediately turned red, starting from his ears.

“ **Just let him do his thing.** ”, Edge rolled his eye lights. “ **He won’t stop fussing until you do. Might as well get over it quickly.** ”

This wasn’t the way he wanted Toby to meet the other skeletons. He thought about doing that for a while but he ultimately planned to start with simply introducing his brother first. It occurred to Edge that including Sans in his life a little more and using a timid drummer for that might help with actually spending more quality time with him. It was far better than his _hopeless_ attempts to fix things anyway. And it would be definitely easier for the drummer too. The situation they were in couldn’t be helped though. None of them planned this so they all had to suck it up and deal with it somehow.

“I’LL GET THE FIRST AID KIT.”, Papyrus informed them as soon as the small human shyly agreed to accept his help.

Edge stayed in the living room, for now, still worried about that short time his friend had been spacing out after the monster touched his soul with magic. His eye lights were staring at the small frame intently, looking for anything that might confirm or dismiss his concerns. He looked normal though. As normal as somebody who had been attacked could look.

“huh. that’s a third human this month, edge.”, the lazybones leaning on the backrest of the couch muttered in a hushed tone. “who are you and what did you do to that ass that crawled from the hole?”

Edge grit his teeth but didn’t trouble himself with looking at the other Sans. “ **And what is so surprising in that, bag of bones? I am capable of having more than _one_ human friend.** ”, he snapped lowly.

“...ouch.”, the small skeleton huffed and pushed himself away from the couch. Edge heard his shuffling footsteps heading upstairs.

He didn’t mean it _like that_ , especially when he himself didn’t have any friends until now… but he was actually too tired to care. Besides, that meant one less pair of eye lights that were currently staring at him. Additional attention and bantering wasn’t something he needed right now, not with the dizziness hitting him again. He just wished he could lie down and sleep for a week but at the same time, he still wanted to stay and watch over Toby. The small drummer was used to Edge’ presence but not Papyrus’. There was no doubt that his counterpart will quickly grow on the human but for now… he was just another stranger.

His mind absently registered a familiar farting sound coming from his pocket but Edge didn’t react until his brother said something about it. The scarred skeleton pulled out the device and needed a second to focus his slightly blurred vision on the small screen.

_**The Human** is calling..._

That was enough to clear his mind significantly. _Shit._ _Why_ were you calling him now of all times? He still didn’t have a chance to even see you in person since he had finally realized his blooming feelings towards you and now there was something much more important happening to him than that. He needed time and strength to gather his thoughts properly, he couldn’t face you now… not even on the phone. He was so exhausted. And tired. And worried. And he _really_ needed to talk to Papyrus about everything. If the situation was different, he would probably be nervous but simultaneously _so thrilled_ to answer. However, talking to you was the last thing he needed right now.

“ **What?** ”, he barked at you the moment he accepted the call.

“ _Hey! Edge!_ ”, your voice rang clear in the receiver. You didn’t use any usual or new nickname and you seemed alarmed - this made Edge focus on your voice even more. “ _I keep calling everybody I know so… by any chance, have you seen Toby for the past two days?_ ”

The scarred skeleton turned his head to look at the small human. Papyrus was already gently helping him to take off the bloodied hoodie without exacerbating his injury further. The reason you called got crystal clear in a second and it made Edge let out a deep and tired sigh. He felt how tension left his bruised bones as he realized nothing actually bad had happened. Well, nothing _new_.

“ _Damien is worried sick._ ”, you continued. “ _He says that Toby’s mother called him a few hours ago about that._ ”

Edge was looking straight at the boy, wondering whether it was a good idea to tell you the truth. For some reason, the drummer kept his outrageous idea hidden from everybody and the monster didn’t feel like giving away this important secret... but at the same time, he couldn’t lie to you about your friend. When Toby’s gaze locked with his, the skeleton motioned at the phone pressed to the side of his skull with his left hand.

“ _Edge? You hear me?_ ”, you asked after a short while of silence on your side.

Edge waited to receive a short nod from the drummer. “ **He’s with me.** ”, he said when Toby inaudibly agreed to disclose this information.

“ _... oh._ ”, you reacted with disappointment first but then your tone changed. “ _OH! You’ve found him? That’s gr-_ ”

“ **I didn’t...** ”, Edge scoffed at you but a commotion on your end made him interrupt his jibe before it properly started. Another familiar voice spoke a second later.

“ _EDGE!_ ”, Damien yelled to the phone, forcing the skeleton to move the device away from his skull. “ _He’s with you?! Is he alright!? What happened?!_ ”

The human’s voice sounded clearly concerned, distressed even. It was the first time Edge heard him talk this way and was quite surprised to see that side of the usually composed bassist. He had to look at Toby again and point at the phone with his index finger. To his relief, Toby nodded a few times at this too - the skeleton felt dizzy again and talking on the phone didn’t help him at all.

“ **Ask him those yourself...** ”, he handed the device to Toby and leaned on the backrest. His brother was still quietly standing next to him, so without even thinking about it, he took a step to be this few inches closer to him.

“Uh… h-hi… Yes.”, the small human stammered nervously. “Y-yes. I’m f-fine. N-no… I… I know. No, he didn’t… Wh-where…? Uh…”, he raised his head a little and gave the skeletons a disoriented look.

Edge was the last one to understand this silent question in his friend's eyes but fortunately, Papyrus was conscious enough to quickly give him the address. Toby repeated it twice for Damien to hear it properly. 

“… oh… okay. You really don’t ha- okay. Bye.”, he blurted at the end and then stared at the device until its screen went black.

Seeing that the call had ended, Edge took the phone away and huffed. He was a little disappointed that the insufferable human disconnected before the skeleton could listen to your voice a while longer but perhaps this was for the better. It's not that what he _wanted_ actually mattered anymore...

Taking care of Toby’s injuries seemed like something that could take a while, so Edge decided to finally take off his shoes, go upstairs to change his clothes and find something for the small human to wear. There was no chance Papyrus would allow him to put that bloodied hoodie back on after all. The skeleton guessed that there were some clothes stashed in the backpack hidden in the apartment building, right next to the sleeping bag, but... he didn’t think it was reasonable for anybody to go and get those.

Sans was dogging him without a word all the way to the hallway and then to Edge’s room. The tall skeleton actually didn’t mind that and even used his brother’s shoulder one time to keep his balance. It was too late for pretending he was alright or maintaining his nonexistent pride. It still bugged him that they got to touch only because of the circumstances but Edge accepted his help with a silent sigh of relief. It was better than _nothing_.

When he got back downstairs, still with Sans’ help, Toby was sitting alone in the armchair with his hands stuffed under his thighs in a nervous manner. He had a few bandages stuck on his elbow and forearm and an ice pack lying on his ankle that was propped on the thickest pillow they had. His hoodie and shoes were lying on the floor right in front of him. The boy looked so _fragile and weak_ without that thick layer of clothing. Edge’s soul quivered with worry again at this sight. But he looked fine. _He was fine._

As soon as Edge reached the bottom of the stairs and walked to the couch to lean on it again, he heard a short conversation coming from the hallway. Papyrus just let the blonde human in and Damien rushed immediately towards the living room the moment the tall skeleton told him where to go. The bassist almost fell on his knees in front of the armchair and pulled Toby into a tight embrace. The boy’s face turned beet red almost immediately.

“Thank _God_ , I was so worried!”, Damien said in a muffled tone as his face was pressed against Toby’s shoulder. ”You didn’t pick up and I thought…”, he backed away enough to be able to grab the boy’s shoulders and take a good look at him. His voice died in his throat the moment he saw a scuff on his friend’s chin and noticed the other injuries. “What is this...?”, Damien gasped and tried to get a better look at the bandage on the thin arm. “You… you said you were ok.”

The tall human turned to look at Edge with oncoming anger in his blue eyes but something got into his line of sight. It wasn’t _sudden_ … but Papyrus swiftly took a deliberate and fluid step to put his body between Damien and his new brother.

“I assure you that my brother did everything in his might to protect your friend, _human_.”, he said in a calm, low tone. He was still smiling but the air around him somehow got icy cold. Edge even felt the urge to take a step back.

“That’s… that’s true… He sa-saved me.”, Toby interjected quickly preventing his human friend from saying anything that could displease the head of the skeletons’ house.

Before Damien got a chance to process all this information and actually focus on the drummer again, Edge snapped.

“ **BULL-FUCKING-SHIT!** ”, he yelled so loudly that even his counterpart flinched in surprise.

Everybody stared at the scarred skeleton with their eyes and eye sockets wide. He didn’t care. Edge ignored them and glared at the boy.

” ** _Why_ won’t you tell them what _really_ happened?!** ”, he growled angrily while clenching his fists. He felt the pain in his forearm reawaken because of that.

Toby only lowered his head in response.

“ **FINE! I WILL!** ”, the skeleton raised his voice again and looked around at every person in the room. “ ** _I_ didn’t save him! It was the other way around! Some human pricks attacked me and _he_ stepped in!** ”

“… I… but… y-yes but… you…”, the boy tried to protest but his stuttering made it impossible.

Edge leaned to point angrily at the drummer, who flinched at the sudden gesture. He noticed that Damien moved a little as if he wanted to stop him but changed his mind at the last moment. “ **I didn’t say your plan was a good one. _It was_ _horrible_!** ”

He was furious at Toby for risking his health and life for somebody like him. It wasn’t about his hurt pride - he got his ass kicked that day anyway and he knew he had still a lot to learn before he could actually be proud again. It was about the boy’s _life_ and safety. It was dangerous and reckless to do something like that… for him...

Toby did that for him. Nobody except for Sans had ever risked their life for Edge, and since he became the Captain of the Royal Guard, there had been no need for that anymore too. Everybody he had encountered in the Underground feared and respected him. He was so used to fighting alone and making sure everybody knew he can deal with everything on his own, he forgot how it actually feels to be protected by somebody. He never knew he would be reminded about that by a human… a weak wimpy human. Edge felt odd with that realization, almost lightheaded. Or maybe that was his magic being so depleted?

“ **But…** ”, the skeleton’s tone got gentle and he lowered his hand. “ **... _you_ were the reason they left me alone. They wouldn’t stop if not for _you_. Seems like two against three was too uneven for them.** ”

The whole room went silent as every single human and skeleton was too dumbfounded to say anything. Edge backed away from Toby and straightened himself while looking away.

“ **Papyrus… I _need_ to talk to you.** ”, he added with a huff and motioned at the kitchen before heading there first.

The cheerful skeleton cocked his head a little and followed him after a moment of thought. “ALRIGHT.”

When his counterpart joined him near the dining table, Edge didn’t actually need to try to lower his voice. He was barely standing. He put both of his hands on the wooden surface in front of him and took a deep breath.

“ **When that human finishes interrogating him, could you check if Toby’s soul is fine?** ”, he blurted out before Papyrus was able to say anything. “ **I _had_ _to_ use my magic on him and… I’m not sure if I didn’t overdo it.** ”

He knew what he did. The list of his transgressions was long, from destroying a human property to ruthlessly assaulting a monster, but he never crossed that one line every monster was forbidden to cross. Until today, he thought he had enough strength and self-control to avoid using his magic on human souls but nothing could have prepared him for _this_. For a day when the only reason to break this one and indisputable law would be to _save_ a human’s life.

He didn’t regret _that_ part… but he needed to confess before the truth gets out one way or another and blows up in his face in the worst way imaginable. What better way to plead guilty than to the Monster Ambassador himself?

“If he allows me to...”, he answered calmly and without additional questions.

Edge nodded and sat down at the table. The silence in the kitchen felt heavy as the gravity of his words dawned on the both of them.

Papyrus cleared his proverbial throat. “Those humans…”

“ **They were _not_ harmed…** ”, the scarred skeleton muttered before his counterpart finished the question. Then he remembered how well-aimed were the stones that flew in the air not so long ago and smirked tiredly. “ **Well… not by _my_ hand at least.** ”

“I’m not asking about that. Would you be able to describe them? In detail?”, the cheerful skeleton’s voice was still dead serious so the small smile on Edge’s face didn’t last long.

He nodded slowly, not raising his head. “ **I think yes.** ”

Papyrus let out a deep sigh and tapped his fingers on the table in a slightly nervous manner. “If we could find those humans and get your little friend to give a statement at the Embassy, the situation could turn to your favor. Especially with your arm being hurt. But without that…”

“ **... I know.** ”, Edge responded to that unspoken threat. “ **I’ll ask him. But I won’t… I don’t want to force him.** ”

“Of course. I won’t force him either.”, something in his usually cheerful counterpart’s voice caught his attention. He rarely sounded like that.

Edge didn't look up to see his expression though, satisfied with that answer. He still felt very dizzy and he knew that is bones were unusually warm now. The pain in his arm turned into a dull throbbing he barely noticed but he knew he would feel much worse later. The only thing he could think of now was going to sleep… He was so fucking exhausted. He was so sick of it, sick of the nerves, the stress, the every little fucking thing that came his way and made his life harder. He tried to be better, to do better, to have a better life and it always seemed to turn to shit. And now there were other people that could get dragged into this. Like Toby. Or Papyrus. He didn’t want _you_ to get involved in this too.  So… at least until they take care of this, there was _nothing_ he could tell you about his feelings. It really didn’t matter how he felt about you now. There was a chance they would lock him up forever for that one magic ‘trick’ so there was no point in even thinking about it. 

“BROTHER?”, Papyrus’ voice suddenly rang in the kitchen.

“ **Yes…?** ”, Edge raised his head to look at his counterpart. He didn’t even notice when he leaned on the table so much he almost touched it with his scarred forehead.

The cheerful skeleton smiled at him. “I THINK YOU SHOULD GO TO BED. WE’LL TAKE CARE OF YOUR GUESTS.”

Edge stood up with a noncommittal grunt and was already leaving the kitchen when Papyrus’ voice stopped him in the doorway.

“AND EDGE…?”, the tall skeleton walked up to him to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “YOU _KNOW_ WHERE THE SWEAR JAR IS. IT WILL BE AT THE SAME SPOT TOMORROW.”

Edge let out a tired half-amused scoff and left the kitchen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... as you can see, things turn a little more angsty and serious from now on. This chapter marks a second act of the whole fic I've got planned. So much stuff is going to happen! Yay!
> 
> The next Chapter will be a Halloween Chapter too! So yay2! Here you have a poll regarding Reader's costume for that chapter. Feel free to vote, my beautiful Readers:
> 
> [Halloween Costume Poll](http://www.strawpoll.me/15079503)
> 
> _____________________________________________________________
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> __________________________________________________________  
> Fanarts:  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i)[ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405137656/littleblue5mcdork-pushes-more-art-across-the)[ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405059866/littleblue5mcdork-slowly-pushes-art-across-the)[ 4](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314667921/littleblue5mcdork-tada-finally-got-a-decent)[ 5](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314371436/littleblue5mcdork-okay-okay-so-far-so-good)[ 6](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314313271/littleblue5mcdork-and-omg-i-what-happened) by littleblue5mcdork  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah  
> [ by doodleinks](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167369414921/doodleinks-doodleinks-blblbl-thunderstruck)
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	24. Chilling Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS HALLOWEEN!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! It's March but every day it's Halloween if you have a correct mindset, right?  
> Thank you for your patience, my beautiful Readers! Hope you'll enjoy what I have in store for our favorite cactus!
> 
> The Miserable Lot songs:  
> [ Circus for a psycho - let Cindy have that rad riff at the beginning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJYTQVKmDLc)  
> [ The Resistance - more lines for the Reader](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWmHbpD0fE)  
> [ Sick Of It - Damien and his husky voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gQablxVmlQ)

As Edge finally got to bed, he was still anxious about Toby’s soul and his own freedom. It worried him that he wouldn’t be able to sleep despite his exhaustion - he _really_ needed to rest - but he was mistaken. He barely had the strength to prevent the obnoxious white ball of fur from crawling into his ribcage as he pulled a cover over his sore body. Fortunately, the cat had settled on curling up next to his chest and purring in unison with his tired soul. The skeleton was out in seconds.

He slept like a log through the rest of the evening and the whole night. He vaguely remembered a pair of red eye lights peeking inside his room through the crack in the door. He hoped he didn’t dream about Sans checking up on him in the middle of the night - he left his door open on purpose after all. The memory was a blur though and the moment he sat on his bed and put his bare feet on the floor, it began to disappear from his mind. His bones were still warm due to the yesterday’s magic overuse but the dizziness was gone and, aside from still painfully throbbing forearm, he felt overall better. And very, very hungry.

Edge got dressed as quickly as it was possible in his not so fully recovered condition and was out of his room in a few minutes. He checked the time on his phone when he was going downstairs, but before he got a chance to chide himself for sleeping in that much, he heard two familiar voices chatting lowly in the kitchen. One of them didn’t belong to a monster.

Toby was the first person he saw as he approached the room. The small human was sitting at the table and nibbling on a slightly charred toast while listening to something the other person was saying. Edge needed a moment to recognize the black hoodie the drummer was wearing. It was way too big for his frail form and the sleeves needed to be rolled up but despite the overall silliness of this, the sight was heartwarming to the skeleton.

“ **Oh. Heya, bro.** ”, Sans noticed him first and stopped fiddling with the toaster. The scent of burned bread filled the kitchen. “ **Ya wanna some toast for breakfast?** ”

The human turned his head so abruptly the black hood fell backward and uncovered his messy dark hair. The drummer’s injuries looked even worse now - especially with the big bruise on his chin that finally decided to show.

“M… morning.”, he mumbled quietly and curled up a little under Edge’s intense stare.

The tall skeleton averted his gaze and scowled. “ **Good morning.** ”, he answered in a hoarse tone and walked up to the coffee express to start a day as usual. With a big mug of black bitterness. “ **And no. I’ll eat leftovers from yesterday.** ”

He didn’t bother reheating the dish this time, not really feeling like waiting for food much longer. As he sat down with his plate and mug, he felt Toby’s eyes on him but he ignored that. The atmosphere in the kitchen got more tense the moment he entered the room so he decided to give the small human some time to adjust to his presence. That... and he was really too hungry to bother with a small talk at the moment.

While Toby was also silently taking care of his food, Sans started explaining what went down when Edge went to sleep. Apparently, Damien had insisted on taking Toby with him but the whole idea was shot down as soon as the drummer was allowed to speak his mind - which didn’t happen that fast. The other human still didn’t seem entirely happy with the idea of leaving his injured friend with not one but four skeleton monsters but fortunately, he didn’t even try to argue with Toby about that. He just went back to the apartment building to get the stuff his friend left there and promised to call later.

The small human was accommodated in the guest room for the night and as soon as he got his belongings - along with the old sleeping bag - he was allowed to rest. Or at least, that’s what the small skeleton claimed.

Edge looked closely at his brother and managed to shoot a few curious glances at Toby as he was listening to the story. Both Sans and the drummer looked tired (almost as if they didn’t sleep the whole night) but also much calmer. There was not the faintest sign of magic on the smaller skeleton too, so Edge figured his brother didn’t leave home at night to ‘search’ for that walking human garbage that attacked them. He felt there was something going on between them though. Or at least there was something in Sans’ behavior that was slightly different than usual - Edge was pretty sure the burned toast in the human’s hands was made by the small skeleton. And Sans rarely cooked anything out of his own volition… though that may be a sign that he was still upset about what happened.

It was… actually a comforting sight to Edge. It seemed like Toby had grown on his brother pretty fast. It wasn’t that surprising though. If there was anybody his brother would immediately consider a friend, it would be a person that tried to protect Edge despite the danger. The small human also seemed to be less tense around Sans, even if only a little.

The rest of the late breakfast went in silence with occasional stupid remarks his brother decided to spew once in a while. It seemed that Toby liked those awful food puns more than you did, and some of them even made him giggle a few times. Although annoying to Edge, the jokes Sans said seemed to work wonders on all of them, so the taller skeleton refrained from barking at the other monster to stop those. Knowing what was coming today, he preferred to keep the mood lighthearted as long as possible.

He immediately changed his mind when Toby choked on a charred toast when he heard one of the more dense puns the smaller skeleton was able to come up with. Fortunately, the small human dealt with the problem on his own - the two monsters had _no idea_ how to behave in a situation like that. It was yet another thing Edge thought he should learn soon. _If_ he would have a chance, that is.

“ **Sans…** ”, Edge barked at his brother while sitting back down. “ **... don’t try to kill my human friend with your food _again_.** ”

The other skeleton smiled widely at this. There was another pun coming and his tone was a clear sign of that. “ **Ya know me, bro… I just-** ”

He went silent when the sound of hastily opening and closing front door reached them in the kitchen. All three of them turned their heads in unison to look towards the living room on time to hear Papyrus’ serious but characteristically loud voice.

“EDGE? TOBY? I NEED YOU BOTH TO GET READY QUICKLY.”, the tall skeleton, dressed in his full Ambassador attire, walked towards the stairs as he spoke. “I DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME TO ATTEND TO THE DEPARTMENT WITH YOU BUT I _REALLY_ WANT TO BE PRESENT DURING THAT.”

“ **We’re here.** ”, Edge called before his counterpart managed to climb even one stair and put his plate with the unfinished meal and empty mug next to the sink.

Papyrus approached the kitchen in a few long strides. “AH, SPLENDID.”, he smiled at them. “I… HOPE YOU’RE BOTH FEELING BETTER?”

With the corner of his eye socket, Edge had noticed that Toby nodded a few times while hunching a little and hiding more in the big black hoodie.

“ ** _Better_ is an accurate word.** ”, he agreed with the drummer.

“IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING NECESSARY TO DO NOW, I’D LIKE TO BE ON OUR WAY.”, despite his genuine smile, his voice sounded a tad urgent.

Before anybody else managed to answer, the small skeleton chimed in quickly. “ **I’m comin’ with ya.** ”

The Ambassador didn’t object and motioned at the front door. “I’LL BE WAITING IN THE CAR.”

Sans was still smiling - as always - but there was this familiar tension in the left corner of his sharp-toothed mouth. The scarred skeleton recognized this odd smirk right away and the anxious feeling he had wrapped around his soul tightened.

His brother was worried, and rightfully so. This shit was _dead serious_ here. Edge didn’t just fuck up his chances to be employed at some dick’s company again. And he didn’t mess up something between him and a human friend. One can live through something like that and move on. But this…?

He wished he could go back to sleep to fight off the fever that was still running in his bones and forget all about this but he actually didn’t have a better choice than dealing with it head-on. Begrudgingly, Edge was first to leave the kitchen after his counterpart.

Somehow all three of them managed to get ready to go in a matter of minutes. As they were leaving the house, Edge had noticed that his small human friend was limping a little. It didn’t seem as bad as he previously thought… or at least Toby was putting on a brave face and pretending it wasn’t bothering him that much. To his chagrin, Edge couldn’t sit next to the drummer - being a large monster forced him to take the front seat. There was a little solace in a thought that his brother had an eye socket out on Toby but it helped only to some extent. He actually never learned whether his friend’s soul was fine. Nobody acted as if there was something wrong too but… he would have to find out himself later.

After one awkward joke Sans blurted out as the Ambassador led the car out of the driveway, nobody dared to start any conversation. Everybody seemed too occupied with the oncoming visit to the Monsters-Humans Affairs Department, each for different reasons. Edge turned around a few times to check on his human friend but Toby had his gaze down and seemed not to notice the monsters attempts to get some sort of attention out of him. The skeleton stopped after a few times.

“TOBY…”, Papyrus’ voice rang in the air and Edge turned to look at him. “AS I HAVE TOLD YOU BEFORE, USING MAGIC ON A HUMAN SOUL IS SOMETHING… THAT RARELY HAPPENS.”, his voice sounded very serious this time.

Edge turned again only to see how the small human’s hands clenched tighter on the rim of the black hoodie. His gaze was still on his knees and his shoulders were hunched as if the other skeleton was scolding him for something.

Papyrus had his eyes on the road. “YOU ARE WELL AWARE THAT IT IS FORBIDDEN BY THE TREATY WE HAVE WITH YOUR KIND… SO I ASSUME YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT DOES THE YESTERDAY’S SITUATION MEAN TO ALL OF US.”

The silence filled the air in the car. It lasted long enough to make Toby stutter a short “Y...yeah.”

“I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO… KEEP THIS A SECRET.”, the Ambassador’s voice got warier.

“ ** _What…?_** ”, Sans blurted out the same question that appeared in Edge’s skull the moment those words rang between the front seats and the backseat.

Papyrus shook his head. “I DON’T MEAN THE AUTHORITIES IN THE DEPARTMENT… OR THOSE AT THE EMBASSY.”, he provided quickly. “THEY _NEED_ THE WHOLE TRUTH. YOU CAN… YOU _SHOULD_ TELL THEM EVERYTHING.”

There was a pause in his words when he focused on joining the road traffic on the main road to the heart of the city.

“WE _CANNOT_ ALLOW THE WIDER PUBLIC TO LEARN ABOUT IT, TOBY. IT WOULD BE VERY UNFORTUNATE FOR EVERYBODY IF SOME DANGEROUS THEORIES APPEARED. OR IF THE MEDIA STARTED TO SPIN A HURTFUL NARRATIVE ABOUT THE WHOLE ORDEAL.”, he continued calmly.

Edge let out a loud scoff and was already turning to Papyrus to voice his angry opinion about that. He didn’t have a chance to say anything though.

“IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS SITUATION TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS…”, the tall skeleton’s voice turned gentle. “... I WON’T STOP YOU FROM DOING THAT. I AM SIMPLY LOOKING OUT FOR MY BROTHER AND MY KIND. IT IS MY DUTY.”

“H.. how bad w-would it be?”, Toby asked after a few moments of silence.  “I… I told Damien… but he knows it’s… I…”

Papyrus gave the small human a while to finish his sentence but when nothing came, he asked. ”DO YOU TRUST YOUR FRIEND, TOBY?”

The human finally looked at the two skeletons in the front seats. “I… yes.”

Papyrus smiled. “THEN WE WILL HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.”

There was something hopeful in Edge’s counterpart’s voice that the scarred skeleton couldn’t share in this situation. The fact that Toby actually told somebody else, and Damien at that, made his soul quiver with both rage and worry. He was well aware how much the bassist disliked him and how he wanted the monster gone from the Miserable Lot’s life. Not that it was totally unjustified - Toby got hurt _because_ of Edge after all and no magic could undo this. Now that Damien knew what had really happened… this was going to end badly for Edge. He was sure of it.

He refrained from saying anything though. There was absolutely no point to that…  and they had reached their destination already. Papyrus carefully parked the red convertible in the back of the Department, not to drive more attention to them than necessary. None of them was eager to leave the car but ultimately, Edge was the first to do that.

The building occupied by the Monster-Human Affairs Department was an old one. It was situated roughly on the border with the monster populated part of the city, but much closer to the center of Ebott. Authorities decided it was the best location to house officials that dealt with monster-human related crimes. Despite the fact that the building was refurbished those two years ago, it always smelled like fresh paint in there. And old human sweat.

Edge hated this place with every bone of his body. Every time he had to come in, they sat him in awfully small chairs and asked a lot of stupid, repetitive questions - and that drove him almost _insane_. He understood those were the _laws_ of this world but… he was just filled with righteous anger and spite. He was certain the humans he crossed had it coming, and that he was just humoring Papyrus and doing all the obnoxious paperwork just to get everybody off his back. He had to give statements twelve times already and he was pretty sure half of the staff knew who he was after that. He felt their gazes on him as he entered the main hall right after his counterpart.

“I CALLED IN THE MORNING, THEY SHOULD BE READY FOR US.”, Papyrus informed the rest while leading them to the second floor. “THERE WILL BE A HUMAN REPRESENTATIVE TO TAKE TOBY TO HUMAN OFFICES AND ONE MONSTER TO TAKE YOUR STATEMENT, EDGE. I KNOW…”, he hesitated. “I HOPE YOU’LL COOPERATE, BROTHER. I KNOW IT IS HARD TO STAND SOME OF THE PROCEDURES HERE.”

Edge gave an annoyed grunt at those words.

“I… I’ll have to go a-alone…?”, Toby’s voice was shaking a little and it urged Edge to stop and wait for his small friend to catch up with him. The drummer seemed much paler now.

“IT IS… STRONGLY ADVISED.”, Papyrus looked over his shoulder at the nervous human. “IT’S TO MAKE SURE YOU WEREN’T FORCED TO GIVE FALSE STATEMENT ON OUR BEHALF.”

“ ** _Really?_** ”, the scarred skeleton scowled as he took a step to stand closer to the drummer.

“I’M AFRAID SO.”, Papyrus stopped in his tracks to and turned around. “WE CAN ALWAYS POSTPONE THIS SO YOU COULD COME WITH A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER, TOBY. A HUMAN. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE SOMEBODY WITH YOU WHEN REPORTING THIS SORT OF…”, his voice trailed off.

“ **... crime.** ”, Edge finished the sentence for him and looked away.

His brother scoffed loudly but didn’t say a word. It was very unusual for Sans to be so quiet all the time but the situation itself wasn’t especially normal for them. He avoided the scarred skeleton’s gaze all the time too.

Toby shook his head and dug his hands deeper into the oversized hoodie’s pockets. “N-no… I’m… I’m fine. I-I… I can do it.”

“ **You don’t have to.** ”, Edge murmured lowly as the feeling of guilt crept into his soul.

“Sh…”, the small human took a deep breath. “ _Shut up._ ”

All four of them immediately went quiet when the meaning and the tone of those words reached them. Sans was the first one to chuckle nervously after the first seconds of shock passed and Toby’s ears began to turn bright red because of that.

“ **Ya better listen to him, bro.** ”, he blurted out in a slightly tense but also amused way.

Even Papyrus smiled a little at this exchange. “LET US PROCEED THEN. I BET WE ALL WANT TO GET OVER THIS AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, RIGHT?”

After a minute or so, a human official finally came to lead Toby to the proper office. The drummer looked over his shoulder at his monster friend as he was walking down the corridor and something in that sight made Edge’s soul shudder in fright. What if it was the last time he’s allowed to see him? It didn’t seem possible, not with Papyrus around and the way this Department actually handled things, but that fear was weighing on his soul.

He couldn’t help but feel powerless here and he hated that. He knew it was mostly his fault this whole ordeal was so complicated. After all, he had done enough to establish himself as a human hater before. He’d changed but... Would they see past his previous transgressions? Would they notice that Toby is his _friend_ and he did that to save his life? Would they even care? Would they listen to the small human at all?

“ **... bro?** ”, Edge felt a cautious touch on his healthy wrist and was forced to unglue his gaze from the door Toby disappeared behind. He tried to glare at Sans like he usually did but it must have been half-assed this time. The small skeleton didn’t move his hand. “ **He’s gonna be fine.** ”

He rolled his eye lights and took a step back, getting his hand away from the smaller skeleton in the process. “ **He’d better be. I don’t feel like being _murdery_ today…** ”

“ _EDGE_ _!_ ”, Papyrus chided him immediately and motioned with his head at the open door next to them.

A bunny monster was already waiting for him in the office, her furry brow quirked. He recognized this one. She had already handled half of the cases regarding his previous transgressions and was absolutely unamused by the fact that he was in the Department. Again.

“ **Stay here.** ”, he said before the smaller skeleton could even make a step.

“ **But…** ”, Sans tried to object.

The scarred skeleton grabbed his brother by the jacket and leaned a little to growl in a commanding tone. “ **I said. _Stay_ _._ Here.** ”

He heard his counterpart sigh patiently just as he entered the office and closed the door behind him. Edge knew that this didn’t leave a good impression on the bunny monster but he really preferred to answer all the incoming questions alone.

It took way longer than he hoped it would. At least this time the monster representative didn’t interrupt him when he started explaining what had actually happened, thoroughly taking notes during that. Papyrus probably warned her about the nature of his actions beforehand, because she didn’t look surprised when he reached the soul magic part of the story. After the initial interview, he had to answer _questions_. A lot of them. He hated them so fucking much he wanted to flip the table - he actually had done it a few times before - but he refrained. Edge knew he needed to be on his best behavior if he had any hope of getting out of this free. Besides… he _was_ guilty, right?

When the bunny monster was done asking him about every fucking little detail, she handed him the papers she was filling in to sign. He took his time to check whether everything was correct before actually putting his signature at the bottom. When he was giving the notepad back to her, he could have sworn she smiled at him a little.

Baffled, he turned his gaze away and focused on his scarred hands that rested on the wooden table. Edge actually didn’t remember any Department official smiling at him. They were usually scared - and that was what he aimed for - or irritated. But this was different. The whole situation was different. He knew he had good reasons to use his magic… or that’s what he thought. So maybe there was a small glimmer of hope? The law was strict and he honestly _never_ heard of a monster that broke it. Maybe they all had good reasons? Though what if the officials, Papyrus included, kept that hidden? What was actually happening to them? Were they locked somewhere? Back in the Underground? Or…?

His trail of thoughts was finally interrupted when the doctor had arrived. The hand monster’s duty was to check Edge’s injured arm and take photos of slightly fractured ulna as evidence. There was no reason for x-rays, as the doctor tried to joke, but an angry huff from the skeleton made him shut up and work faster. Edge didn’t appreciate being prodded and gawked at but he didn’t give in to the urge to actually say anything... or throw the doctor against the wall as his angry instincts told him.

When he was finally free to go, his patience had run so thin he was this close to kicking the door open. All the examination reawakened a throbbing pain in his bruised bone and that put him even more on edge. He was absolutely _done_ with this day and yet there was still a visit in the Embassy - where he would have to do the same. Fucking. Thing.

Papyrus, Sans, and Toby were waiting for him in the corridor. Despite his sour mood, Edge felt a lot better when he saw his friend again. It seemed there was no reason for the drummer to be kept away from him. Unfortunately, the Ambassador urged them to leave the building before Edge managed to talk to the small human. They still needed to reach the Embassy and Papyrus was already late for a very important session with the King himself.

As the red convertible stopped at the designated parking spot on the Monster Kingdom territory, Sans took off to work. Edge was quite certain that the small skeleton was already very late but understood him in a way. As long as they were on human turf, there was always a chance something might happen - paranoid as it was, it was better to be safe than dusted.

The whole ordeal with telling the story, answering questions and being examined by yet another monster doctor repeated itself. Edge was this close to losing his shit when the short lizard monster finally let him go. The skeleton shut the door behind him with anger and noticed with the corner of his eye socket that somebody flinched at the loud and satisfying bang it induced.

He felt bad for that as soon as he recognized a small frame sitting on the wooden bench near the door. Papyrus was already gone, busy with the many important duties he had to attend to, but Toby was still there, waiting for him in the main hallway.

Edge hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to join his friend. He sat on the far end of the bench, not to stress him with his close presence - he was still pissed off after all. Toby fidgeted a little but said nothing, still hunched defensively and with his head down. The drummer looked even more tired now and the bruise on his chin made his face look sickly and pale.

The skeleton tapped his phalanges against his dark trousers, thinking. He knew he should talk to the small human about the whole situation… especially about the fact why they actually ended up in the Embassy. And about that stash in the ruined bathroom too. Edge felt the need to know more about it but pushing Toby for answers wouldn’t make the situation better. Especially when he was sure Damien did this already.

“ **Toby…** ”, he began but stopped. His voice was unpleasantly rough and it echoed slightly in the empty hallway. He didn’t like it.

The drummer flinched a little again and mumbled quickly. “I-I’m sorry…”

Edge turned to look at him with a deep frown. “ **… for fucking _what_? You didn’t do anything wrong** **.** ”

Despite trying to keep his voice low, the skeleton still had to watch how his friend hunched even more. The small movement in the pocket region told him that Toby’s fingers were nervously picking at the material.

The drummer took a shaky breath. “A-and… you didn’t either… y-yet… you… you have to…”

The skeleton scoffed before Toby managed to finish his sentence. “ **Not this time, no.** ”, he grumbled. “ **But… I am not a saint, drum boy.** ”

He glared at his hands, the bone surface marked with many scars, many pieces of evidence that would remind him of this fact every single day of his life. He almost saw dust stains on them. “ **Whatever comes my way now is because of what I did in the past, not because of what has happened yesterday.** ”

When the silence between them stretched out for too long, Edge looked at the small human again. The expression Toby had made him scowl.

“ **Don’t blame yourself, you hear me?** ”, he leaned towards him and growled in a menacing manner while pointing at the drummer’s chest. “ **I _would_ do that again.** ”

His friend nodded nervously, still avoiding his gaze. This day was going fucking fantastic. He was supposed to talk about Toby’s issues, not this again. They both had their fair share of explaining what happened… but he couldn’t just drop the topic and pretend that he had never found that backpack and sleeping bag, could he?

“ **I know you don’t want to talk about this shit…** ”, he said in a low tone but stopped when he saw a small grimace flash on Toby’s face. It was quick but noticeable.

He couldn’t do that to him. Not today. Maybe not ever. The skeleton was already exhausted with answering the same questions about those assholes and his magic and his friend… It suddenly occurred to him, that Toby must be as tired as he was. Edge was sure that if not for the stress of being in an unfamiliar place with a pissed off skeleton monster, the small human would actually collapse and fall asleep on the spot.

Edge let out a tired sigh and hang his head. “ **All I want to know now is… are you going to be safe?** ”, he asked quietly.

With the corner of his eye socket, Edge saw how the small human turned to look at him for a moment.

“Y-yeah… Da… Damien told m-me she l-left… w… when I… was gone…”, Toby muttered while hiding his bruised chin in the hoodie again.

Those words made another set of unanswered but grim questions appear in the skeleton’s mind but the whole picture of Toby’s situation was getting a tad clearer now. It was a ‘ _she_ ’.

“ **Alright.** ”, he huffed angrily at the non-defined person that caused his friend so much pain. “ **But if it’s the other way around-** ”

“I-I’ll be fine.”, the small human interjected hastily, his voice a little louder and more stubborn.

That made Edge shut his teeth before he managed to voice his threats. He was going about that the wrong way. It’s not like he could actually do something useful to help Toby if nothing else helped before. Especially if the only thing he _could_ do involved violence - something he was sure wouldn’t sit right with anybody that actually mattered to Edge and Toby. He was useless in any other way when it came to problems like these. He was a monster after all and those were human issues. And he was going to become even more worthless if they would choose to lock him up permanently. But…

Edge wasn’t alone. The sole idea occurred to him just yesterday, when he was able to leave his friend with the other skeletons and rest. He may be utterly unhelpful when it came to that but there were other, better equipped people around him. Like Papyrus or you or…

“ **You know… I bet my brother wouldn’t mind another surprise sleepover.** ”, the skeleton said lowly, trying to make his voice sound as noncommittal as possible. He straightened himself and leaned on the wall behind him. “ **He seems to like you. And our guest room is usually empty so… just give us a call or text me or something...** ”

He saw Toby fidget again but this time he seemed more relaxed. “O-okay…”, he answered after a while of thought.

After this, the silence between them was less tense. None of them decided to start a conversation again and Edge figured that they both needed some space after the whole day of talking. It wasn’t as pleasant as their short breaks during music lessons but… it was close enough for Edge to relax even a little.

Papyrus came back after half an hour, carrying a lot of documents in his hands. It seemed like there was still a lot of urgent duties he had to take care of that day.

“I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU’RE DONE.”, he let out a content sigh as he stopped in front of them. “I WAS INFORMED THAT THE POLICE WILL BE LOOKING FOR THOSE THREE… _INDIVIDUALS_ BECAUSE OF THE TREATY BREACH. WE WILL DO EVERYTHING TO ENFORCE THAT, FOR SURE.”

He tapped at the papers he was holding with the tip of his index finger as his gaze landed on Edge. “THE ISSUE OF YOUR MISUSE OF MAGIC WILL BE LOOKED INTO BY THE HUMAN AUTHORITIES IN THE DEPARTMENT... “, he stopped to accentuate his next words. “... ‘AS SOON AS THEY MANAGE’. WHICH MEANS IT CAN TAKE A FEW DAYS OR EVEN WEEKS. THEIR LONG PROCEDURES STILL BAFFLE ME.”

Edge nodded compliantly.

“UNTIL THEN I SUGGEST WE TRY TO KEEP OUR USUAL ROUTINES. THIS INCLUDES WORK, FREE TIME ACTIVITIES, AND WHATNOT.”, he smiled at them. “I AM SURE EVERYTHING WILL END WELL. IT’S JUST A LOT OF PAPERWORK, NOTHING ELSE.”

The scarred skeleton sighed at those words, hoping deep down his worried soul that his counterpart was right. Despite that, Edge felt a little more at ease when he heard that he was allowed to continue his life until the authorities reached any decision. It was surely better than being arrested.

“ **I think it’s time we took you home, drum boy.** ”, he turned to look at the sleepy human.

“YES. THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT I PLANNED TO DO NOW THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE.”, Papyrus quickly agreed. “LET’S GO. I BELIEVE I WOULD NEED YOUR ADDRESS, TOBY.”

* * *

It turned out that Toby didn’t live that far from the monster part of the city, so the ride to his house wasn’t that long. Despite that, the small human nodded off a little in the backseat, with the hood pulled over his head and his arms tightly wrapped around himself. Edge actually felt wrong waking him up, especially when the drummer sat up quite suddenly and seemed a little disoriented at first. He thanked them both for a lift and without even looking back at them, he quickly disappeared behind the front door.

The scarred skeleton was glaring at the house when Papyrus turned the car around. It was a _nice_ looking house. Clean, bright, with well cared for flowers growing around the front yard and a swing lurking behind the garage. It absolutely didn’t fit with how Toby was behaving and what Edge had learned about his small friend.

“I _KNOW_ YOU MUST BE VERY TIRED, EDGE…”, his counterpart said, clearly getting ready to say something that will rile Edge up. “... BUT IT’S A LITTLE TOO LATE TO CALL OFF FRISK’S VISIT TOMORROW. EVERYTHING IS ALREADY ARRANGED.”

He let out a deep and annoyed sigh. “ ** _Seriously…?_** ”, he glared at his brother.

Papyrus smiled at him. “I ACTUALLY THINK THAT GOING OUT WITH THEM AND _______ MIGHT DO YOU GOOD. THOSE LAST TWO DAYS WERE HARD ON YOU, BROTHER. YOU DESERVE TO HAVE FUN.”

Edge didn’t answer to that and turned to look at the window. He tried to cross arms on his chest and grimaced a little when his hurt bones reminded about themselves with a dull pain. He hissed in reflex at that. He couldn’t even brood the way he wanted now.

“YOUR ARM COULD USE SOME HEALING.”, his counterpart suggested.

“ **I know…** ”, he grumbled. He knew his brother well enough to predict what was coming.

“WILL YOU ALLOW ME TO DO THAT WHEN WE GET HOME?”, Papyrus asked after a while, his tone gentle.

Edge was really reluctant to agree to _that_. He didn’t like the feeling that came with his counterpart’s magic. It wasn’t actually hurting him but it still felt as if his bones were about to fall apart from the inside. The sensation was probably connected to their souls having similar resonance or something like that. However, if he was to keep an eye on the most important human in monster’s history and indulge your unrestrained excitement tomorrow, he couldn’t allow himself to be weak.

“ **Fine.** ”, he scoffed while making a mental note to finally learn this kind of magic himself. Another thing to put on his Stupid List it seems.

* * *

When the Halloween morning came, Edge didn’t feel like getting up at all. If not for his cat that had decided to jump on his chest with a whiny squeak, he would have stayed in bed and stared at the ceiling for another hour. With a disgruntled sigh, he sat on the bed and stroke the white fur of his hungry beast before putting on some clothes. He grabbed the creature that was loitering dangerously close to his legs and he left the room without bothering to put on his socks.

It’s not that he was _unhappy_ to see you today, he thought as he descended to the living room. He simply felt off. A few days ago he had been impatiently awaiting Halloween, genuinely looking forward to spending some time with you. But then he realized _why_ he was so thrilled to be around you and things got… well, complicated. It got worse two days ago and he just wished he could have some time to actually process all the shit he’d gotten himself into.

Edge dropped the cat on the counter and rummaged through the cupboard to find that one last packet of salmon flavored cat food. The little fucker seemed to enjoy this one the most and the skeleton felt like giving his ward something tastier this morning. Tiny squeaks that rang accusingly in the kitchen did nothing to make him move faster though.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to follow Papyrus’ advice? You always seemed to brighten his day with your weird behavior and the way you smiled. It was an odd thing to think about now, in the light of his recent revelation, but he was planning to make you smile today after all. If not for himself, he could actually try to have fun for _your_ sake.

And for Papyrus’ as well. The cheerful skeleton worked his coccyx off every day in the Embassy and later at home, and still had time to take care of the shitstorm Edge invoked with his magic.

With a frown, he poured himself a mug of black coffee and sat at the table to make sure that this big mutt wouldn’t disturb the cat’s meal. Not that the white ball of fangs and rage would allow anybody except for Edge to touch her bowl… but the skeleton still didn’t feel comfortable with leaving the little fucker alone.

He knew he had time for himself today to spend as he pleased. The dog was sleeping in his bed on the floor near the laundry room and looked as if he was going to stay there for a while. Both small skeletons were gone - one back at work again and the second was getting the kid ready for the visit. Papyrus was busy just like he had said he would be. Edge was alone… and there was something eerie in the way the sound of his steps carried in the empty house. Almost as if the world just stopped for a while and was taking a rest while he was the only one awake.

Despite his attempts to find something productive to do, Edge was distracted all day. He tried to kill time by translating your list - he was getting closer to the very end of it - but he couldn’t focus on searching through the dictionaries. He had absolutely no patience for knitting that day too as he felt on edge despite the calmness hanging in the air, so he dropped that after a few attempts. The way this day seemed to lazily drag on for eternity annoyed Edge. It was hard for him to actually relax because of that. Everything was currently out of his control and it shouldn’t feel so _agonizingly_ slow. Almost as if he was the one stuck in a barrel of tar and couldn’t move at all but everything around him worked just fine.

Oddly enough, he started to feel a little more anxious and thus better when the hour you were supposed to arrive was getting closer. He promised to go with you and have a full trick or treating experience which meant he was also supposed to dress up for the occasion.

The skeleton had actually some trouble in finding any costume that would fit both his standards and size. He was still a big ass monster. Fortunately, he remembered what you had told him once at the very beginning of your acquaintance with the scary skeleton. He had spent a few days searching through various sites filled with skeleton-like characters from human pop-culture until he decided which would suit him best. There was a tiny voice in his skull that told him this costume was pretty lazy for him but he ignored it for the sake of finding his old and slightly torn spiked jacket and similarly worn out leather pants. Adding a long chain to complete the whole getup wasn’t that difficult and he already had a motorcycle for that too.

Edge was ready way before the time you arrived, which meant he had to impatiently wait for you to come by yourself. Initially, he was supposed to come to your loft and take you back to the monster districts to start harassing people for sweets from there but with Frisk in the picture, he had to change this plan. This also meant he wasn’t going to walk around human filled districts with the kid, which suited him just fine this time. Edge knew well enough how much ‘ _love_ ’ some humans had for his kind and he didn’t feel like repeating the skirmish from two days back.

A polite but still loud knocking mercifully snapped him out of the train of thoughts. Before he managed to answer the door he heard your voice as you cheerfully yelled “trick or treat”. Apparently, you were already in the mood.

Edge rolled his eye lights but there was a small smirk on his face too and he grabbed the doorknob. He was about to say something quippy at you the moment he opened the door but his soul fluttered in his chest as soon as he saw you, just _standing_ in front of him, with that damned beautiful smile of yours that he could recognize even with all the paint covering your face. So much shit had happened to him these past few days it seemed like he saw you centuries ago. He didn’t even notice your costume at first.

“So…”, you opened your coat a bit wider. “What do you think? Indecent enough?”

He shook his head a little and managed to look away when he finally realized he was just staring at you like a damn gyftrot in the headlights. His mind registered you were dressed up as a naked skeleton and that gave Edge a way out.

“ **Extremely.** ”, he said dryly and opened the door wider to let you in.

It was actually a pure luck for him this time that your stupid and bold idea for a costume was a good excuse to mask his reaction. He hoped he was ready to face you after his realization but it seemed like nothing could make him prepared for what his stupid soul was doing right now. He was able to control himself better when the initial shock to that stupid fluttering ceased down a bit but still… he shouldn’t be feeling like that.

Or maybe he _should_?

“ **Where did you get that shit?** ”, he asked as he closed the door behind you.

You turned on your heel with your hands on your hips. “I did it all by myself, Nicolas Edge.”, you announced with a smile.

“ **Really?** ”, the skeleton walked up to you to take a closer look at the costume you were wearing.

You decided to indulge him and took off your coat to allow him a better access. You stood still when Edge leaned over you, your chin up high in a proud way. He had to admit that the handiwork seemed pretty good, especially when it came to all the details of the bones painted on the black spandex. He walked around you to see how you managed to depict all the vertebrae and the back of the pelvis.

It still wasn’t the same as his own anatomy, especially when it came to ribs - probably because human bodies were still very different from skeleton monster ones - but it overall seemed like you’d put _a lot_ of work into that. He actually began to feel a little bad he didn’t spend this much energy and time on his own costume.

You didn’t mind at all when he grabbed your wrist to check the bones of your forearm and the ribs on your side and Edge didn’t even register the moment he involuntarily decided to touch you as he was too occupied with admiring the effect of your work. Ultimately, he ended up holding your hand to examine how well you painted the phalanges on each finger. It hit him only when he noticed the warmth of your palm seeping through the thin material of your costume and his own fingerless gloves. His soul froze for a moment and he immediately let go of you.

“What’s the verdict?”, you were grinning at him as if nothing had happened. “You’re the expert when it comes to the skeletons.”

He huffed and took an awkward step away from you to give you some space. “ **Still indecent… but at least you didn’t half-ass it.** ”, he pointedly turned his gaze to the wall, though it actually wasn’t that uncomfortable to look at the bare bones painted on your clothes.

“Ed helped me~”, you said in a sing-song voice. “Well… as much as he could before we dressed him up in a suit and carried him to the club.”

The tall skeleton blinked a few times before the meaning of your words transformed into a mental image in his skull. He covered his face with his bony palm.

“ **… _why_ am I not surprised you really did that?** ”, he groaned.

You chuckled and took a step closer to him.

“He looks fan-ta-stic.”, you tapped his chest with your index finger in unison with your words. “You too, by the way… If your costume was the surprise you’ve mentioned, color me impressed.”

“ **It’s… what?** ”, he turned to look at you. “ **Nevermind. It’s not that. We’re waiting for somebody. They should be here any minute.** ”

Edge hastily walked around you towards the living room. His elbow brushed against your arm in the process and you followed right behind him.

“Can I ask you a stupid question?”, you said when you reached the couch and leaned on the backrest.

He was about to go to the kitchen and maybe grab something to drink for both of you but your words made him stop in his tracks and turn around. “ **A stupid question…?** ”, he echoed your words with a frown.

You put your coat on the backrest and gave it a pat. “Yeah. About your magic and stuff.”

He cocked his head a little. You rarely asked about his abilities. “ **Alright. Go on.** ”

“Can you, like…”, you clearly hesitated and that made him even more curious.  “...make your magic look like fire?”

He wasn’t sure whether you were flustered or not - there was a lot of paint on your face that hid an eventual blush but you avoided meeting his gaze for a moment and he noticed that.

“ **For the costume, I assume?** ”, he quirked his brow bone while staring straight at you.

“Yeah.”, you shrugged.

He slowly shook his head. “ **No. I… tried. But it doesn’t work that way.** ”, he admitted. “ **I am not a fire monster.** ”

Edge actually _did_ try. He spent half an hour in front of the bathroom mirror and attempted to summon his red magic around his skull to shape it into flames but he had ultimately failed. He ended up having a small bone stuck in his eye socket for an unpleasantly long minute and decided he wasn’t going to try that again anytime soon.

“I’m still certain you’re the best Ghost Rider there is.”, you said with a happy smile. “You’re nailing the whole look already and- oh! _Look who’s here_!”

You suddenly switched your attention from the tall skeleton looming over you to a whiny squeal next to your elbow. The small ball of fur almost magically appeared on the couch and managed to climb onto the backrest to examine the foreign objects on her territory - that is your coat and you. Like most humans, you were enamored by the cat immediately.

“You’re _so_ pretty, _oh my God_.”, you cooed while gently stroking the white back of a whiny and attention-thirsty beast. “And what’s your name finally, kitty?”

“ **Mustard** **.** ”, a low and gruff voice chimed in from above. Sans was leaning on the balustrade with his chin propped on his palm. “ **Hi there, sugar.** ”

You looked up and your smile got wider again. “Hey, Annie!”, you greeted the smaller skeleton cheerfully. “Mustard? That’s…”

“ **No! It’s _not_ Mustard!** ”, Edge snapped at his brother. “ **Do _not_ test my patience with this again!** ”

Sans started to chuckle, though it was clearly half-hearted as he looked dead tired. He folded his arms on the balustrade and leaned on it even more. He probably had come home a while ago using one of his shortcuts because Edge sure as hell didn’t remember hearing anybody use the front door today.

“Well... then what’s her name?”, you looked at the taller skeleton expectantly.

Edge glared at you and clenched his fists. This was the moment he realized he really had to give a name to that blasted cat or she will end up being a ‘Mustard’ forever. It’s not like he didn’t think about naming the creature for a while now, but no name he had found suited the small beast even the slightest. He tried looking for something useful on the internet too. The ideas human had for their pets were horrendous at worst and pathetic at best.

“ **It’s…** ”, he stammered for a while and uttered the first thing that came to his mind, not actually thinking about how it sounded. “ **... Doomfanger.** ”

“ _Doomfanger…_?”, you repeated after him and he felt his magic stir in his soul nervously.

This was the _stupidest_ thing he could have ever said.

“ **Aww…** ”, he heard Sans’ voice got less sleepy and much… softer. “ **Really, bro?** ”

Edge turned to him again, magic creeping up on his cheekbones. “ ** _SHUT UP!_** ”

“Why do I have a feeling there’s a story behind that name…?”, you were still petting the cat but your attention was glued to the two skeleton brothers.

“ ** _Don’t._** ”, the tall skeleton pointed at Sans before the grinning monster was able to say anything else and then immediately turned to glare at you. “ **You too, human. _Don’t_ ask.** ”

You raised both of your hands in an innocent gesture. “Roger that, Skeletor.”, you said with a smile and went back to indulging Doomfanger’s need for being continuously pet.

“ **Just got up to wish ya both a good evenin’. ‘m goin’ back to sleep.** ”, the smaller skeleton’s smile was wider than usual when he looked straight at his flustered younger brother. “ **Ya two be nice and shit like that.** ”

Edge crossed his arms tightly over his chest and scowled at Sans as he winked at you before finally going back to his room. The taller skeleton was pretty sure you were going to learn all about his stuffed childhood toy in a matter of days. Fucking perfect.

“Too bad monsters don’t purr like cats…”, your sudden bizarre thought attracted his attention to you.

The white creature was currently sitting on your coat with her chin high enough for you to scratch her favorite spot. Apparently, you had been accepted by the cat almost immediately and the soft purring was a clear sign of it. Your words were still ringing in Edge’s head though.

“ ** _Why_ would you want that to be a thing…? That’s _stupid._** ”, he scoffed and leaned on the backrest while still facing you.

“Yeah, maybe…”, you shrugged. “If a cat does that, it usually means it’s happy. It’s just a silly thought. I didn't hear any of you do that.”

“ **Maybe you don’t pet me enough for that to happen?** ”, Edge spoke in a lower tone.

Your head snapped up almost immediately and you looked straight at him.

“ _… what?_ ”, you blurted out.

He stood corrected. _This_ was the stupidest thing he could have ever said. The skeleton felt a hot wave of embarrassment hit his bones. Was he actually _flirting_ with you? Oh god, he was _so fucking terrible_. Stupid, pathetic and cringeworthy. He wished the floor underneath him opened up and swallowed him whole this instant.

“ **What...?** ”, was the only answer he was able to give.

The doorbell actually saved him this time, _thank the fucking stars_. Pretending as if he didn’t say that awful line, he hastily turned away from you and left the living room. He hoped that Frisk and Sans were waiting on the other side of the door because that would mean you would most certainly forget about his stupid behavior. This time the universe was kind to him.

But he was still mad at himself which made him overall annoyed at everything.

“ **Why the _fuck_ are you ringing? You have keys.** ”, he growled at the lazy skeleton with a shit-eating grin plastered all over his bony face that was standing on the doorstep.

“eh, didn’t feel like lookin’ for them. kid rang though.”, the other Sans shrugged nonchalantly and motioned at the human child to enter the house first.

Edge made way for the Human Ambassador and noticed that the kid was carrying a big backpack with them. He decided to leave the hallway just to make more room for the skeleton and the human and joined you in the living room. You were already curiously peeking at the newcomers, so it seemed the worst line in the whole history of flirting was already forgotten.

When Frisk finally emerged from the hallway and gave you a small smile, Edge felt you suddenly grab his forearm. He glanced at you just to see your eyes widen and your jaw fly open in response to that sight.

“No way…”, you muttered and repeated much louder. “NO WAY!”

The Human Ambassador giggled at your reaction and looked at Sans that lazily shuffled behind them. Both of them seemed pretty pleased with that effect.

“ **Surprise, _______.** ”, Edge said with a hint of pride in his tone. He gingerly reached to touch your hand that was currently squeezing his wrist but quickly withdrew before he actually managed to do that.

“You didn’t!”, you finally tore your gaze away from the human child only to stare at Edge with the same expression. “Wh-... how did you..? You… but… my list… “, you stammered, clearly unable to form a proper sentence.

“ **Your handwriting is _horrible_ , human.**”, the tall skeleton vaguely explained and felt a small smirk in his own expression. He couldn’t help himself. You were so damn surprised and happy at the same time you were almost glowing under that paint of yours. It was contagious.

Sans shook his head a little. “let the kid change, kay? you gonna have an entire evenin’ for talkin’ and stuff, right?”

The small skeleton pushed the human child towards the guest room and followed them there.

“ _They’re going with us?!_ ”, you managed to say in a very loud and excited whisper.

“ **Yes, they are.** ”, Edge nodded but frowned a moment later. “ **Unless… that’s not alright with you**?”

“No! No no… It’s… wow. I never thought… _Thankyousomuch_!”, you blurted out so quickly and with such a heavy accent that the skeleton had a hard time figuring out what did you actually say. That became unimportant to him a second later, when you decided to switch from your incoherent words to a more physical means of showing your gratitude and actually _hugged_ him.

It was so sudden and unexpected to him, he froze. He was so goddamn happy his surprise made you react that way... but at the same time, it was a display of affection other people could see and his older instincts immediately kicked in. He was torn. He didn’t know how to react to this. It was so different from the ‘necessary’ embrace he shared with you when he was scared or the one that actually helped you to safely stay in the backseat of his motorcycle. You had been often touching his arms and forearms before but the tall skeleton still felt you were usually respecting his boundaries when it came to physical contact.

Before he finally managed to snap out of this stupor and reached to embrace you back, you let him go and moved away. He made sure you didn’t notice his failed gesture though.

You cleared your throat and hid your hands behind you as if to stop yourself from doing that again. “Sorry… I’m sorry. I got too excited.”

Edge shook his head and looked away. “ **It’s alright.** ”, he grumbled. A part of him wished you didn’t try to restrain your joy like that but something told him that maybe it was for the better.

Fortunately, you both didn’t have to awkwardly wait too long for Frisk to be done with their costume. When the human child left the guest room with a white mask with two cracks on it Edge had to squint a little to make sure he saw correctly. There was something familiar in the creature the Human Ambassador decided to impersonate this evening but Edge couldn’t quite remember what it was. Sans didn’t seem too happy with the choice of the costume though and that was enough for the tall skeleton to brush that feeling aside. If it annoyed that bag of bones it was good in his book.

“Oh! Is that this faceless god from anime? It looks so cool and creepy.”, you complimented the child’s getup with a bright but a tad nervous smile.

“Something like that.”, Frisk answered and their voice sounded a bit odd and muffled because of the mask. “I’m ready.”, they announced and turned to Sans.

“alright…”, the small skeleton didn’t seem as impressed as you. “you know the rules, kid. you get hurt and your mom makes a damn piano out of my ribs, so be good.”, he ruffled the child’s hair affectionately. “your phone is charged?”

“Yep.”, Frisk didn’t even try to fix their hair. They just made sure the mask is where it should be.

“and…”, Sans started but the kid didn’t let him finish.

“... don’t take your mask off, don’t leave Pa-... Edge’s sight, call if anything happens, leave an egg under Gerson’s doormat and bring some cookies back. I know.”

The lazy skeleton chuckled and a warm smile replaced his usually half-fake grin.

“kay, you smart-ass. give your old pal a hug and go have fun.”, Sans opened his arms to do exactly what he said. The two of them seemed as if they didn’t actually mind the fact that there were other people in the room, watching their interaction and listening to what they were saying. When the small skeleton was done with that touchy-feely shit, he glanced at Edge but didn’t say anything.

The scarred skeleton looked at you with the corner of his eye socket and you were immediately at the door, almost vibrating from excitement. It was your first real Halloween after all so that enthusiasm was something he actually expected.

He wasn’t prepared to properly deal with that kid though.

Somehow, somewhere between the first three houses Frisk decided to visit, Edge ended up holding the damned child’s hand. It actually made the whole ordeal of keeping an eye socket out for them much easier but still… it left him feeling uneasy. He acted as if it wasn’t bothering him at all but he saw in your eyes that you had noticed his discomfort. He decided to suck it up anyway and just roll with the human’s odd behavior. It’s not like they were weirder than _you_.

Watching you take part in this stupid custom and have fun made the whole ordeal actually worth it. You quickly managed to find a common ground with the kid and spent half of the evening chatting with them about things Edge had never heard about. The other half was running around from house to house, shouting “ _Trick or Treat!_ ” and squealing when some monsters decided to join the fun with their own pranks. You even managed to coax Edge into saying that stupid phrase with you, though he didn’t put much effort into that.

He noticed that he was unable to say ‘no’ to you, which made the whole evening much more uncomfortable to him at one point. Both you and the Human Ambassador nagged him to take a longer road around the monster part of the town and visit the old cemetery. It’s not that Edge didn’t know that some humans buried their dead just a few feet underground, he wasn’t that ignorant or dense. The sole realization that there was a place where there were hundreds of skeletons turning to dust under his feet made him feel… not so thrilled about the idea. He relented though, knowing well enough that visiting this creepy place today was also one of your wishes.

He kept close to the fence when the trick or treating trio entered the cemetery’s premises and observed the kid and you from the distance. You both took a stroll along the old alleys and pointed at the older gravestones as the skeleton watched and tried not to roll his eye lights too often. After a while, you came back but the Human Ambassador sat on a smaller grave and started unwrapping something.

“They said they wanted to… uh… talk to an old friend alone.”, you said when you reached Edge while still eyeing the kid. “They’re weird. But in that good way, you know?”

Edge nodded curtly, knowing well enough what you were referring to. The tall skeleton could name at least one other human that fit this description. He stuffed his hands deeper into the pockets and let out a sigh. They were probably going to wait for a while.

“I... heard what happened to you and Tobson…”, you said in a much lower tone. “I’m sorry.”

Edge lowered his gaze for a moment but went back to observing the small frame in the middle of the cemetery. “ **It’s fine.** ”, he muttered.

“No, it’s not. You were _attacked_.”, your voice got a little sharper but it only made him shake his head dismissively.

“ **I’m used to it, human.** ”, he answered flatly.

He heard you stomp your feet and that finally dared him to look at you.

“You _shouldn’t_ be!”, you snapped. “That’s not something anyone should be used to, you know?”

Edge was slightly taken aback by your sudden anger. He rarely saw you like that… he actually saw you in a similar state just once and you were defending him from Damien. The skeleton monster wasn’t sure how should he feel at the moment. It was… kind of nice to see you were mad because something unpleasant happened to him, but at the same time he didn’t want you to feel that way.

“I… I just don’t get it.”, you gestured with exasperation while using both of your hands. “It pisses me off so much to see how we… how humans treat you all. You’re just like us, right? And you… you did nothing wrong. If anybody has a right to hate it’s _monsters_. We were the assholes that started the war and locked you up, right? It’s just… so _unfair_.”

Edge never told you anything specific about his past in the Underground but you weren’t stupid. He knew you had some idea what was happening to the monsters when they all were imprisoned and judging by the way you acted around him, you probably had your own guesses about his life too. You understood how he felt in a way. It _was_ unfair. Being locked in the Underground since forever was _unfair_. Being forced to fight for his life every day was _unfair_. Being orphaned so early he couldn’t remember his parents' faces was _unfair_. Facing hatred on the Surface that supposed to be heaven for monsters was _unfair_ too. His whole life was _**unfair**_.

This one simple word resonated with that anger that was lodged deep in his soul like a thorn that could never go away and his fists impulsively clenched tighter in his pockets. He looked away from you, not wanting to let his anger ruin this evening. Especially when it wasn’t directed at you at all. There was no entity he could blame this injustice on so he settled on just being mad in general.

“ **Tell me about it…** ”, he muttered under his breath.

“I… I’m sorry, Edge. I know next to nothing about how you all… I shouldn’t assume I get it.”, your tone calmed down significantly but the monster could still hear the remnant of that anger in your voice.

“ **No, you’re right.** ”, he sighed and tried to relax his shoulders. “ **It _is_ unfair. But it’s too late now… Toby’s mostly alright, me too. We can only move forward.**”

His thoughts shifted towards the shitstorm his magic had caused and he felt the urge to tell you about that. When he turned to face you, he was surprised to look straight into your worried eyes - he didn’t notice you came so close to him.

“I hate seeing you like this, Edge.”, your brows knit tighter but there was a small smile slowly appearing on your lips. “You look better scowling… or smiling.”

“ **I…** ”, the skeleton hesitated and decided against his initial idea. He allowed himself to scowl like he once used to but he knew that you recognized this expression. “ **I _don’t_ smile.** ”

You nudged him with your elbow. “ _Of course_ you don’t. Such an inferior emotional expression is beneath the spirit of vengeance himself!”, you raised your voice a little as you spoke with a dramatic flair.

He scoffed at that and decided to gently nudge you back. It was better this way. You were smiling and making him smirk in return. There was no need for that heavy shit between him and you right now.

“Anyway…”, you began in a much more cheerful tone. “He told us you were giving him piano lessons all that time. That’s pretty neat.”

“ **Yes… we had a deal.** ”, Edge nodded a few times and looked at the kid again. The Human Ambassador was still sitting in the same spot.

“ **I forbid him to tell anybody at the beginning, which wasn’t a good idea on my part, I know.** ”, he admitted with a defeated sigh. “ **I think… it was good to have something only the two of us shared. Something just ours.** ”

You didn’t say anything for a while so he turned to you with a frown, only to see that you were staring at him with that damned smile of yours back on your lips.

“That’s…”, you finally said. “I want to say ‘cute’ but you’ll probably get pissed and throw me over the fence or something.”

He glared at you angrily only to look away a second later with embarrassment he tried to hide under an annoyed growl.

“But it _is_! I can’t help it, really! And I’m not making fun of you, Edgy Blaze. I… just like that side of you.”

He looked back at you, more curious than actually angry. “ **Which side…?** ”, he asked lowly.

This time it was your turn to avert your gaze. “The caring and soft one...”, you shrugged and the tone of your voice struck a chord deep in his soul. “The one you don’t show that often. And for good reasons, I get it. It’s… good to see that from time to time.”

“It suits you, actually.”, you added at the end and gave him another smile.

“ **I’m not _always_ an asshole…** ”, he grumbled at you, not entirely sure how to react to your words that sounded like a genuine compliment on… well… something he actually thought he wasn’t capable of anymore. His soul felt both heavy and warm at the same time.

“I know.”, you reached and touched his forearm. “We _all_ know.”

He was about to answer something but he noticed that the kid was on their way back. Edge decided, there was no way he would continue a conversation like this with somebody else present. He managed to shoot you a grateful look before the Human Ambassador bounced happily to you both and announced they were ready to continue the evening. Begrudgingly, the skeleton monster accepted the squishy small hand and left the cemetery with a weird human at each of his sides.

The evening was uneventful after that if one didn’t count your valiant attempt to prank Gerson’s house with Frisk. Fortunately, the crazy old turtle had still some common sense and didn’t respond with something more extreme than a few raw eggs thrown after you two unsuccessfully tried to leave the same surprise under the doormat. This was the end of fun for the Human Ambassador though - with egg yolk in their hair and in the mask’s eye they had to go back to the skeleton house to clean themselves.

After making sure Frisk was returned to Sans in one piece, the evening went on. You managed to drag the skeleton monster across a few streets to continue with the stupid tradition but you needed to get ready for the concert, so this torture didn’t last too long. Edge gave you a ride to your loft, so you could fix the paint on your face and jokingly freak out about being on the stage for the first time in your life. The skeleton saw how thrilled you were though - another wish from your List of Buckets was going to be fulfilled that day.

Half an hour later, he was watching you quickly disappear in the back door of the club as the warmth of your body was slowly disappearing from the back of his leather jacket. His thoughts lingered for a while on a self-indulgent wish that the ride there lasted a bit longer but he chased it immediately away. He was supposed to focus on getting inside and finding a good spot where nobody would bother him too much. Despite his reluctance to be in the middle of a human crowd, he still wanted to listen to the concert - three members of the Miserable Lot were his friends after all.

Being a very tall skeleton monster clad in leather, spikes and chains made it a lot easier for him to force his way through the crowd - most of the humans just took a very quick step to the side as soon as they noticed who was walking their way. The more oblivious or drunk ones needed to be firmly pushed aside but nobody tried to stop him. He finally found a spot that was close enough to the exit but the view on the scene wasn’t obscured by any of the wide pillars that were scattered unevenly in the main space of the club. He leaned on the wall to make way for other people that were still pouring inside and waited.

The first person to appear on the stage was Damien. The tall bassist was dressed in a black and red striped sweater and a simple brown hat. After making sure his guitar and microphone were correctly plugged in, he helped Toby to get on the higher part of the scene where the drum kit was standing. The small human was still limping a little but there was a nervous smile present on his painted face too. The drummer's skin was covered in green paint and the skeleton had noticed some odd markings on his forehead and neck that probably were a part of his costume. You and Cindy - who was clearly dressed as an angel in a white frilly dress - were the last ones to join the group. The Miserable Lot needed a few more minutes more before the concert could actually begin.

The moment the first guitar solo notes filled the air, Edge forgot all about the obnoxious crowd around him. He recognized the song almost immediately - he heard your lot rehearse it many times when he was still allowed to join you in the abandoned apartment building. It was different though. There were new twists here and there that were unfamiliar to him but the band actually sounded… _good_.

Toby somehow managed to focus on playing and didn’t let himself be distracted by the crowds that were staring at the stage and jumping to the rhythm of his drums. Cindy got much better too and seemed to have a lot of fun while bouncing around you and Damien - she didn’t even miss a note despite those shenanigans. Even the bassist's vocal was stronger and clearer. And you…

Your voice rang in the air in a way that made his soul tremble a little. The skeleton monster wondered whether your voice was always this good but needed practice or was he just biased. Not that it actually mattered to him. With impatience, he awaited the songs where you had more lines and couldn’t help himself but feel actually moved and proud. Especially when he saw that the rest of the small crowd shared his opinion and seemed to like it as well.

The whole hour of the concert went past him in a blink of an eye. Just like some rowdy teenagers next to him, he wished it lasted longer, but Edge didn’t voice his opinion in a way those humans did. When you all waved at the crowd from the stage, he wondered how soon would he be able to hear you sing again and see Cindy dancing on the stage and Toby grinning from behind the drum kit.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”, Damien breathed tiredly into the microphone and wiped his forehead with the torn sleeve of his costume. “You’ve been so wonderful today. We couldn’t wish for a better first concert, really. This is amazing. Wow…”

Edge figured this was the moment to leave before the whole club starts to swarm towards the exit. He pushed himself away from the wall and began to maneuver between the cheerfully drunk human teenagers and adults.

“If you could just stay a little bit longer with us.”, the bassist continued as Edge was reaching the exit. “There’s something important I need to say, alright?”

“Edge…?”, Damien’s voice rang loudly in the air and the skeleton stopped in his tracks this instant. ”Could you join us on the stage? I know you came to listen to us.”

His soul stopped for short while when Edge wasn’t actually sure how to react. He managed to turn around and look straight at the stage where all four members of the Miserable Lot were standing. The exit was pretty close to a pillar so he was hidden from your direct sight and wondered for a moment if it wasn’t better to just bail… He was supposed to wait for you at the back when the concert ended after all, right?

“Help us out, people.”, the band’s leader was apparently more stubborn than that. “We’re looking for a tall and ha-”, he had to stop in the middle of the word to gently push the guitarist away. “No, Cin. I’m _not_ saying this. He’s not my type…”

“A _tall_ Ghost Rider. Hard to miss him, really.”, he went back to addressing the laughing crowd. “Edge? Please?”

Somebody close to him noticed his costume… and overall appearance that resembled the character he was supposed to be that evening. A few people started calling to Damien and pointing at the reluctant skeleton. Edge had no other choice but to give in and walk towards the musicians.

“There he is.”, the bassist’s voice sounded relieved.

With a scowl, the skeleton jumped on the stage in one graceful move and faced the tall human. He wasn’t actually sure what the fuck was going on right now and he didn’t appreciate being summoned like that. He noticed you standing behind Damien. You didn’t seem alarmed by the situation at all and when you realized Edge was staring at you, you gave him a thumbs up. That was enough to put his soul at ease a little before the bassist started addressing the crowd again.

“Alright, I’m getting to the point… Listen carefully, people.”, he pointed at the skeleton next to him. “Edge here is a _good_ _guy_. And I have to admit I was acting like a dick towards him. It took me some time…”, Damien’s gaze left the dumbfounded Edge for a second to glance at Toby. “... and some pretty determined friends to hammer that into my head. And… I apologize for that. In front of you all.”

He took the microphone off the stand and turned his whole body to face the skeleton. “I am sorry, Edge.”

The monster just stood there, surprised about both the situation and Damien’s words to the point he wasn’t even moving. There was no way that the human was doing this all for publicity… His voice sounded so sincere when he spoke the last words Edge actually believed them on the spot. He was vaguely aware there were people gawking at him but he paid them no mind. The only thing he managed to do was nod curtly and that invoked some cheers in the crowd and a big smile on the bassist’s face.

“And… well… the second part.”, Damien quickly spoke into the microphone only to move it away from his mouth and take a few steps to be closer to the monster.

“I know it might be long overdue and… I kinda wouldn’t be surprised if you declined…”, his voice sounded hoarse and much weaker without the help of the sound system. He took a deep breath. “But we want you in the Miserable Lot. All of us. _Unanimously_.”

Edge blinked like an idiot, not entirely sure he heard correctly. It took him a few agonizingly long seconds to finally say anything. “ **I’m still not a team player... _and_ an asshole.** ”, he warned.

The human smiled at him again. “Turns out I’m an asshole too. We’ll work something out together… what do you say?”, the last words were spoken in a very uncertain tone.

“ **Fine**.”, the skeleton decided and shook Damien’s hand when he offered it.

“Alright, people!”, the bassist had the microphone back to his mouth. “Give our new violinist a proper applause. Edge… welcome to the Miserable Lot. We’re thrilled to have you with us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise~!  
> Let me know what you think about this chapter!  
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord.
> 
> Fanarts:  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166217421606/littleblue5mcdork-shyly-presents-fan-art-i)[ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405137656/littleblue5mcdork-pushes-more-art-across-the)[ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167405059866/littleblue5mcdork-slowly-pushes-art-across-the)[ 4](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314667921/littleblue5mcdork-tada-finally-got-a-decent)[ 5](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314371436/littleblue5mcdork-okay-okay-so-far-so-good)[ 6](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167314313271/littleblue5mcdork-and-omg-i-what-happened) by littleblue5mcdork  
> [ by miraculousjewelbeetle](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166242844846/i-loved-the-latest-chapter-mun-oh-wow-this-is) \- a scene from Chapter 13: Twister  
> [ by alessa-suicidedreamer](https://alessa-suicidedreamer.tumblr.com/post/166367144850/%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%92%E1%B5%83%CA%B3-%E1%B6%A0%E1%B5%83%E1%B6%B0%E1%B5%83%CA%B3%E1%B5%97%CB%A2-for-thunderstruck-edgelord-this) \- a scene from Chapter 12: The Storm Cellar  
> [ 1](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/166114589586/menekah-compassion-we-all-need-to-admit-that) [ 2](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/165446762451/menekah-thunderstruck-because-i-cant-get) [ 3](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/164760502926/menekah-the-great-and-terrible-edgelord-look) by menekah  
> [ by doodleinks](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/post/167369414921/doodleinks-doodleinks-blblbl-thunderstruck)
> 
> Fics inspired by Thunderstruck:  
> [ Mobs and Maids by smolshipper](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/28029543)
> 
>  Thank you so much for time and energy and heart you all put into creating those!


	25. reWind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and your friends have fun with a camera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my beautiful Readers! I know it's been a while since the last update so thank you so much for your patience. This chapter is shorter and very much different from the usual ones - I tried something new. I hope I've made everything clear and you won't be confused about what is happening.
> 
> Let me know what you think about it, I love reading and responding to all your comments! Have a nice read!
> 
> (There will be a lot of links to music, bear that in mind when you start reading.)

At first, everything is black.

“Alright! It’s on!”, your voice rings happily. “We can get started.”

“You forgot to take the cover off.”, Damien points out.

You hum quietly and after a dull shuffling sound, you exclaim. “Oh! You’re right!”

The cover is removed from the lens and your smiling face comes to the view. At first, it’s a little blurred but the video camera automatically adjusts its lenses so that you are clearly visible in the shot.

“Hi! I’m _______! I’m the singer in Miserable Lot. And here… “, you pull a tall human so close to yourself his cheek is pressed against yours. “... is our bassist, lead singer, and our leader!”

Damien scoffs and grins. “Hello. I’m Damien… and that sounds like _a lot_ of work. I’m too lazy for that.”, he turns his head and bonks his forehead on yours. “Move it, pip-squeak.”, with those words, he pushes you away and raises his hand higher so the camera has a wider shot.

“We’re having our 50th rehearsal. And a fifth one after our first concert. No big deal.”, he says with a smirk.

“ _It is_ a big deal!”, a high-pitched voice chimes in and a redhead woman immediately enters the shot with a low ‘oof’ as she hits the human’s broad chest with impact. Her smile shows crooked front teeth and her eyes are shining brightly.

“I’m Cindy, I play the guitar and we’re all like a real band now. Like for real real.”, she pokes Damien while spewing those words so fast it’s a miracle they can be understood.

“No. _Don’t_!”, the bassist backs away from her relentless attack with a nervous chuckle. “Here, hold this.”

The camera is stuffed into Cindy’s hands and the tall human quickly hides behind you. Somebody laughs softly at this and the redhead woman quickly points the camera at a young human fiddling with his drumsticks.

“This is Toby! Say hi!”, she takes a few steps towards him and the device sways slightly in her hands. For a moment another person standing next to the drummer can be seen - a short skeleton dressed in a gray hoodie and a green shirt.

“Um… hi…?”, Toby waves his hand nervously and as his face turns red, he stares at his feet. “I’m… I’m playing drums… and… uh… the syn… syn… synthe… sizer.”

“And also you write most of the music!”, Damien’s voice calls from behind the camera with an echo. “You’re a big deal here!”

As the small human’s ears turn beet red, Cindy takes a few steps to the side and hands the camera to somebody else. For a second, a bony palm covers the whole lens and then an unamused skeleton face appears.

“ **I’m...** “, the skeleton rolls his eye lights and scoffs. “ **... Edge. I play the violin. And this is _stupid_.** ”

“Oh, come on!”, Cindy whines and other unhappy voices from the rest of the group chime in.

“ ** _FINE_.** ”, the skeleton snaps at them angrily and looks straight at the camera. “ **I’m the newest member of the band.** ”

After this, he hands the device back to the red-haired woman who quickly focuses on the smaller skeleton. The moment the other monster notices he’s in the center of attention and the recording, he awkwardly shuffles his feet and stuffs his hands deeper into his pockets.

“And that’s our first groupie, Red!”, Cindy’s voice chirps loudly.

“ **H-hey! No, I’m _not!_** ”, the smaller skeleton objects.

“Yeah, you are.”, your voice rings. “You’ve been coming to all our rehearsals lately.”

“ **So what…** **”** , Red blurts out. “ **‘m just hangin’ out with ya…** ”

Toby approaches the woman that commandeered the camera and manages to pluck it swiftly out of her hands. His face is still flustered when he points the device at himself but he’s smiling.

“Um… s-so… showtime?”, he stutters nervously.

Everything goes black and silent again.

* * *

(Playing: [[link]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHYVYdRT25c) )

As the screen turns on again, the first thing visible is a ton of pink frills and a wide hand covering the half of the lens.

“Ready…?”, Damien whispers somewhat loudly as he moves away from the camera and walks to his designated spot.

He steps over an artificial skeleton dressed in a suit lying on the ground. The anatomy prop’s left hand is arranged in a crooked excuse for a peace sign and the black formal clothes seem already very dirty. Behind the skeleton, there are three people getting ready to play on what seem to be toy-like musical instruments. There’s clearly more instruments than humans but they look like they’re arranged that way on purpose.

The tall human has his usual clothes on but there's a very frilly and very pink tutu around his waist. He holds a colorful toy dulcimer in hand. Toby seems exceptionally big compared the child drum kit he is sitting behind and his eyes are covered with big sunglasses. The hood of an oversized black hoodie is covering his messy hair but somehow he managed to stick his ears out, which makes his head look small. Right next to him, a red-haired woman dressed in a suit needs to slouch a little to properly hold a very tiny electric guitar. She has an unlit cigarette stuck in her mouth.

Damien, rocking his pink tutu and keeping his expression serious, manages to hit the right keys of his instrument without looking at his hands when Toby joins in with his rhythmic but silly sound of the drum kit. The drummer bangs his head in unison with Cindy’s, who starts playing a familiar tune.

The whole trio keeps their appearances and doesn’t break the character throughout the whole short song. Nobody even chuckles when Damien tries to reach a red bell with his feet and almost loses his balance. When the music stops, all of them freeze in the last overexaggerated poses they made while hitting the last notes on their little colorful instruments.

“Think we got it?”, the red-haired woman asks, still keeping her rockstar pose.

The bassist sticks the dulcimer under his arm and walks towards the camera. “Yeah. I think we got it.”, he says. The camera is turned off the moment Toby and Cindy start giggling.

* * *

The camera is turned back on and for a short while, a face of a frowning scarred skeleton fills the view. He turns the device in his hands and points it at your back. You’re already bouncing happily towards a big heap of junk and metal parts.

“Okay, let’s start here!”, you say giddily while jumping over a smashed microwave and some loose cables. “I already have an idea but maybe something else will come to us here…”

“ **If you think I’m going to ‘dive’ in all that trash just to help you out with your _stupid_ project, then you’re gravely mistaken.** ”, Edge growls with disgust clear in his voice.

You place your foot on some bent metal fragments that could have been a car in the past and start climbing slowly. The skeleton holding the camera takes a few steps closer.

“Aw, come on… I mean, it’s for your brother!”, you huff as you pull yourself a little higher to take a look inside a rusty tube in front of you.

Edge lets out an exasperated sigh. “ **It was _your_ idea, human.** ”

“Only the dumpster diving part.”, your voice echoes in the tube. Your arms strain a little but with a few tries, you manage to climb on the very edge of it. “It’s really a treasure to hear you say a pun once in a- ohshit!”

Your left foot slips suddenly and you fall head first into the rusty trap, your legs flailing aimlessly in the air. “Help?!”

It doesn’t take long for the skeleton to react. He immediately leaves the camera on the littered ground and walks towards the heap of garbage that tries to swallow you. “ **Are you fucking _kidding_ me?!** ”

The device lies on the side so the whole scene is askew but it’s still clearly visible what happens. The tall monster doesn’t need to climb as high as you did to reach your waist and wrap one of his arms around your body. As he tries to free you out of the tube, you start to wriggle.

“Wait, wait!”, you call, your voice very muffled and echoey.

The skeleton freezes at once. “ **What? Are you stuck or something?** ”, his voice gets a little worried.

You flail your legs some more for a while or two. “I got it! You can pull me out!”

“ **Did you just…** ”, Edge mumbles in a stunned tone and then lifts your body in one swift movement to set you free.

You triumphantly hold up a battered ventilation grating in your dirty hand. “Ha! It’s perfect.”, you smile at the skeleton.

“ **STOP FUCKING AROUND! WHAT IF YOU GOT _STUCK_ IN THERE?!** ”, he yells at you while waving his clenched fist in a threatening manner. The other hand is still touching your waist but it’s pulled away a second later.

“But I didn’t… I just slipped.”, you put the grating against your face and lower your voice in imitation of other skeleton’s voice. “See. It was worth it, bro.”

Edge rolls his eye lights with a scoff. “ **This isn’t amusing. Not even a little. And you’ve got grease on your face now…** ”

“I know. My disgusting human face.”, you say with a giggle.

“ **Not… quite.** ”, the skeleton huffs at you as he crosses his arms over his chest. With a frown, he looks at his hand as if he got some grease there too.

You put a hand on your cheek and smear the black gunk all over it. “How about now?”

“ ** _Horrible_.** ”, the skeleton admits dryly.

You laugh and stuff the loot you just found in a bag you left on the ground. After that, you motion at the skeleton and begin walking deeper into the dumpster. “I know where we can look for the rest of it. Come on!”

“ **I need to get the camera.** ”, the skeleton turns around while wiping his hands on his trousers and picks the camera back.

The last thing on the screen is his frowning face again, this time his red eye lights are a bit dimmer.

* * *

(Playing [[link]](https://youtu.be/xkFZn4oPMqE) )

“... TO FORGIVE ME AS I MIGHT BE A LITTLE RUSTY.”, a loud and cheerful tone chimed as soon as the device is turned on. “IT HAS BEEN A WHILE.”

You quickly maneuver the camera so the whole body of the Monster Ambassador is in the shot. He’s standing in front of the big couch in the living room, still dressed in his work apparel. Behind him, sprawled on the seats like a cat lies a smaller skeleton with a lazy grin on his face and an open book lying on his chest.

“Don’t worry, Papyrus. It’s for _fun_ , really.”, you say with encouragement.

Sans raises his bony hand and gives his brother a thumbs up. “go on, bro.”

The tall skeleton smiles brightly to the camera. “ALRIGHT. I THINK I’M READY.”

“Okay… so, music…”, there’s a soft click and an energetic song starts playing which forces you to raise your voice a little. “ … and action!”

Papyrus seems like he is about to start doing what he planned but suddenly his eye sockets widen a little.

“OH WAIT.”, he exclaims and reaches towards the collar of his uniform. He stops for a moment to gesture at the camera. “NO NO. DON’T STOP THE MUSIC!”

The tall skeleton quickly unbuttons his jacket and the first button of his peach shirt just on time for the moment when the singer joins the music. As the song takes the full swing, he starts dancing.

Despite his previous warnings, his moves are confident and fit the music perfectly. As he raises his arms a little higher, his purple ambassador’s jacket opens wider and sways in unison with his hips. His long limbs sometimes move so fast they seem like a blur and one especially flashy spin makes you cheer loudly at the tall skeleton.

Papyrus has a gleeful expression on his face as he turns towards you and in two quick steps grabs something behind the camera. “YOU TOO, ______!”, he bursts as he pulls you along with the camera towards his dancing spot.

“Wait! Wait! I have the camera!”, you protest with a loud laugh and for a few moments, the whole world in the shot is just one colorful spinning blur.

“got it.”, says a low voice and the camera shot stabilizes.

It points directly at the tall skeleton that holds both of your hands in his own and swings them to the rhythm of the song that is still playing. You try to catch up to Papyrus’ swift moves and he slows down to allow you to mirror what he’s doing. After the Ambassador spins you a few times, you start to laugh loudly again.

“you doin’ great, bro.”, the smaller skeleton behind the camera chimes in.

Papyrus turns his head to look at his brother and smirks. “NOW YOU, SANS.”, he says and jumps at the camera quickly.

“noooo…. pap, gimme a break… my legs are too short.”, the lazy skeleton complains in a whiny tone.

The camera is plucked out of the small skeletal hands and is placed back in your care. You turn it to have a clear shot at the skeletons.

“I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.”, the tall skeleton chuckles and pulls his brother into a hug while spinning around.

Right after that, he starts dancing with Sans in tow. The smaller skeleton’s legs dangle helplessly and both of his slippers quickly land on the floor. After a while, both of them start to chuckle and the song ends. Papyrus hugs his dance victim once again before placing him carefully back on the couch.

“YOU STILL GOT IT, SANS.”, he chuckles happily and pats his brother’s sternum affectionately. The other skeleton is still giggling, his arms tightly wrapped around where he would have a stomach.

“That was so cool.”, you say breathlessly and turn off the camera.

* * *

“ **Yeah, I have it… I think it works.** ”, a low, gruff voice grumbles right before the camera lens is uncovered.

Papyrus, dressed in his casual clothes and a frilly cooking apron is standing in the kitchen and is halfway through putting on thick oven gloves. He smiles at the camera and preps his hands on his hips.

“FANTASTIC. HELLO, ______! AND HELLO, OTHER PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING THIS RECORDING.”, the tall skeleton says.

“ **Ah, cut that out, dude.** ”, Red’s voice is far from cheerful.

“BUT THAT’S AN IMPORTANT DAY, BROTHER! YOUR COOKING LESSONS FINALLY BEAR _FRUIT_. EDIBLE AT THAT!”, Papyrus points his fingers at something behind the camera.

The other skeleton sighs. “ **Yeah, right… it’s probably sh… uh… stuff. But whatever.** ”

“YOU SHOULDN’T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF, RED. YOU’RE STILL LEARNING.”, the tall skeleton shakes his head and opens up the oven. “BAKING BREAD IS A VERY EASY AND USEFUL SKILL AND… _WHAT_ DID YOU DO TO IT?”

Papyrus reaches inside the oven and carefully pulls out the tray with an oddly shaped baking. The bread is misshapen but one second of staring at it allowed the tall skeleton to recognize what it was.

“SHOES…?”, he turned his head to look at the camera incredulously.

“ ** _Loafers_.** ”, Red’s voice sounds smug.

The taller skeleton’s eye sockets first widen in surprise and then squint with irritation. “WHY YOU LITTLE…”

With a loud and quite proud laughter, the scarred skeleton leaves the kitchen and takes the camera with him. Papyrus follows after him with a half annoyed and half joking screech. Red swiftly maneuvers to avoid stepping on a dog and almost trips on the rim of the carpet. The camera, unfortunately, falls out of his hand and lands on the floor right beside the armchair. The lens aims at the leg and bottom of the coffee table. There are star-shaped white stickers scattered on the wooden surface there.

“ **Uh-oh…** ”, the small skeleton mumbles nervously.

“OH…”, Papyrus’ voice chimes in with the same worried tone.

The camera is picked up by a bony hand and Red takes a good look at the lens. “ **It seems fine… I think.** ”

“MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU PUT IT AWAY FOR THE TIME BEING, BROTHER.”, the other skeleton suggests.

“ **Right. Good idea.** ”, he mumbles and turns the device off. 

* * *

(Playing: [[link]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgoAD0PhpME) ) 

As the camera is turned on again, a big grin is what fills the whole shot at first. After a few low clicks the device zooms out a little and Sans’ smiling face is visible in all its shit-eating glory. He’s holding the camera very low, aimed at his head and the ceiling over his skull.

“heya, _________. it’s sans the flesh speaking.”, the small skeleton chuckles after those words and angles the camera a bit to the left, where the closed door can be seen.

There’s a clearly audible second voice echoing in the open corridor Sans is standing in. Similar to his own but a little higher and definitely more melodic.

The small skeleton takes a few silent steps and the shot sways with his lazy movement. “i know how badly you wanna hear him singin’... so… do me a solid and write an atrocious pun with ketchup in my dust when he kills me for that.”, he presents a very big smile right before turning the camera in his hands and pointing it at the door.

Slowly and silently, the skeleton places the camera on the floor in front of the bathroom. He doesn’t say anything more and the only thing audible is some bustling and unrestrained singing. The singer’s voice is a little husky and some words of the song are spoken with a lisp but overall it sounds pleasant - the tiled walls in the bathroom enrich the voice further due to the good acoustics. The singing and whatever the other person is doing behind the door lasts for a few moments. Finally, the door opens and the bare skeleton legs take a few steps forward.

“ **~My broken hands, my weary bo- what the _fuck_ …?**”, the singing stops and is replaced with an incredulous, much lower voice.

The bony feet walk to the camera and the device is hastily picked up. For a moment, there are bare scarred ribs visible in the shot but the skeleton quickly points the lens at his own face. His expression seems puzzled at first and his brow bones frown as he examines the camera.

Red’s eye lights suddenly shrink to just two small dots and a red hue starts creeping up on his face. “ **Is this shit on…? Wh-** ”

A soft chuckle gives away that the other skeleton is still around.

“ **How do I turn it off!?** ”, the scarred small skeleton shrieks at Sans while fumbling with the device. The shot shakes and turns which sometimes turns into a clear view of his naked ribs. “ **Stop laughin’! _Turn that off!_** ”

“ya better be careful with those _bare bones_ of yours, pal.”, the other skeleton manages to utter between giggles.

“ _ **Ya fucki** **-**_ ”

The camera is turned off.

* * *

The next shot shows the empty entrance to the kitchen in your loft. After a few soft rustles, you come into view hauling a chair in your arms. You place it right next to the door and look at the camera before adjusting the piece of furniture in your hands. After making sure the recording device points at the desired place, you grab a plastic bowl filled with something and carefully stand on the chair, the bowl high over your head.

“Edgeling, can you come to the kitchen for a moment? I gotta show you something!”, you chirp happily while trying to suppress a giggle.

Some heavy footsteps are heard along with a grumpy voice. “ ** _What now_ , human? I thought you wanted to finish the-**”, the tall and menacing skeleton in a black hoodie enters the kitchen and his voice dies as soon as he notices you.

His first reaction is quick and he seems startled as you try to pour all the little chocolates from the bowl at the top of his head. He covers his head with one hand while the other aims to grab you by your clothes. Halfway through, his eye sockets widen and instead of hurling you on the floor, Edge grabs you around the waist. The chair gets toppled and lands on the ground with a loud thud and the chocolates scatter on the floor along with the plastic bowl.

“ ** _ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!_? WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?** ”, the skeleton keeps holding you close as he yells those words straight at your face.

You curl up a bit and your expression turns apologetic. “Um… sorry? I… I just wanted to shower you with kisses…”, you say softly.

“ **You… w-what…?** ”, his head jerks backward, away from you. His eye lights study your face carefully as his surprised frown deepens.

You smile awkwardly. “Lemme give you one now.”, you say as you reach towards the collar of his hoodie.

“ **... _what?_** ”, Edge blinks a few times as you fish one last chocolate from his hood and place it on the top of his head.

“There.”, you say proudly. “I’m not gonna kiss you for real, you edgelord. _Relax…_ ”, your tone, despite the cheerfulness, sounds a bit reassuring.

He needs a second to collect himself and when he does, he shakes his head with a scoff. The chocolate kiss falls on the floor and you are not so gently set on your feet too.

“ **Good. Keep your _disgusting_ human lips away from me…** ”, the skeleton says in a disgruntled voice while turning away from you.

“Aye aye, sir.”, you salute him and crouch down to start picking up the chocolates from the floor. “This idea sounded much more fun than it really was, you know...?”

The skeleton huffed and leaned down to pick up the chair. “ **Whatever. Just _don’t_ throw shit at me.** ”, he chided in a low tone. He raises his head to look at you and his eye lights stare straight at the camera.

“ **Don’t tell me you were recording this…** ”, he let out a menacing growl right before stomping towards the device and shutting it off. 

* * *

 The camera turns on pointing at the floor and a pair of large skeleton feet.

“Okay~ You ready, Eggy?”, you say as the person holding the device raises his hand a little and aims the lens at you.

Another voice, much lower than yours, chuckles and repeats your last word with an amused tone. The camera shifts a little and Red comes into the view. You and the smaller skeleton are standing in the middle of your art studio. Most of your stuff is moved away and there’s a tall thing in the middle of the room, currently hidden under a thick heavy sheet.

“ **Yes.** ”, the tall skeleton seethes threateningly. “ ** _Get_ to it, for fuck’s sake. We don’t have all day.** ”

“Alright…”, you smile and turn to Red with an overdramatic expression on your face. “I’m so delighted you are here, Annie, my muse of art and inspiration, on the unveiling of the monument to the most exquisite of our works. ”

The smirk on the smaller skeleton’s face falters a little and a hint of red starts creeping up on his face. “ **Kay… what’s goin’ on? Ya wanna show me somethin’, _show_ me.** ”

“Fine.”, you wave at him and grab the edge of the sheet with both of your hands. “Just remember I’m not the only one who made this. Your cool brother had a lot to do with what you’re gonna see.”

Edge scoffs, his voice a tad louder than yours or Red’s. “ **Shut up.** ”

Your smile gets wider. “Actually… it was _his_ idea. Or at least, the name for that is his.”, you say and show him your tongue right before you pull the sheets on the ground.

“Ta-dah!”

You stand right beside a sculpture made of various pieces of metal, rubber, and plastic. It vaguely has a humanoid shape, with a big old tire as a belly, and a smaller one turned into a head. It has two red light bulbs and a crooked ventilation grate instead of a face. You sneak your hand behind the amorphic figure and flip a switch that is on its back. The red ‘eyes’ come to life and shine brightly, illuminating the room with a warm light.

The smaller skeleton’s smile disappears completely and his eye sockets widen at the sight. His eye lights dart across the misshapen figure in front of him that for some reasons vaguely resembles him. After a while of his silent staring, the brother behind the camera shuffles in his spot next to the door.

You’re the first to break the silence. “So… you like it?”

Red’s gaze unglues from the trash sculpture. “ **That’s... that’s me?** ”, with those words, he turns his head to look at something above the camera.

Edge clears his proverbial throat before speaking. “ **It hardly _looks_ like you, I know. I told ______ that a million times.** ”

You vigorously point at the sculpture with both of your hands. “Please, tell me you see that. _Pleeeease_. We’ve spent hours bending the metal and stuff. You remember what you told me when I asked you if you wanna go dumpster diving with us?”

“ **Uh…?** ”, the smaller skeleton blinks a few times and casts a clearly overwhelmed look at the camera again.

“ **That you are _too tired_.** ”, the younger brother chimes in with a grumpy tone in his voice.

The small skeleton’s head snaps towards the sculpture again and his brow bones raise suddenly. An expression of disbelief flashes across his face right before he smacks himself in the forehead and starts chuckling. His laughter gets louder over time and soon he’s lying on his side on the ground, his face flushed, eyes closed and utterly breathless from mirth.

As the unrestrained laughter continues, you chime in with your happy giggles, and Edge comes closer, still pointing the camera at his wheezing brother.

“I think you broke him. You killed your brother.”, you stand next to him and lean over the laughing skeleton.

Edge chuckles lowly. “ **Guess this joke was too _edgy_  even for him.**”

“Oh my god!”, you guffaw loudly and Red joins you in yet another fit of laughter.

The camera points directly at the smaller skeleton’s joyful face until Red is too exhausted to even giggle. Then it gets turned off.

* * *

The first thing visible this time is a window in your loft, or more accurately, a drab sparrow sitting on the window sill. Then there's a sound of the door opening and closing. The small bird startles and flies away immediately.

“ **Fucking _finally_ … I’m not touching that shit again, I’ve got grease between my bones.**”, Edge complains as you fiddle with the camera. “ **You were saying?** ”

Despite your ministrations, the camera is left turned on. It lies upside down on the couch, pointing at your knee and a colorful blanket. The view gets a bit darker when a tall figure obscures the light from the ceiling lamp but the skeleton moves away and sits next to you. His knees stand out more as his legs are far longer than yours.

“Yeah. I talked to my aunt yesterday.”, you say as you throw half of the blanket over the skeleton’s lap. “I’m going home for a while. For winter holidays.”

It takes a few seconds for the skeleton to respond. When he speaks, his voice is leveled. “ **Home? That’s quite a far trip…** ”

“I know. That’s why I’ll probably be gone for a few weeks. It’s Christmas and my auntie’s birthday later... and they really want me to be with them.”, you explain in a softer tone. “You know... since it’s the first one without… my dad.”

The skeleton leans with a low 'hrm' and grabs the remote that’s lying on the couch between your knee and his femur. “ **It is. You know when you’re leaving?** ”

“Dunno yet… still have to book plane tickets and all that. And do Christmas shopping, ugh…”, you sigh.

“ **You can do that there, you know?** ”, the skeleton’s voice still sounds neutral and at ease.

You scoff. “Yeah, _right_. I’m _here_. In the _Monster City_. But I would totally do Christmas shopping in my boring, _monsterless_ town...”

The TV starts playing.

“ **You could take some monster food. It doesn’t spoil.** ”, Edge suggests and adjusts his position under the blanket.

“That’s… actually a pretty good idea. I bet my cousin would keel over seeing spider doughnuts.”, you shift too, looking for a comfortable position.

You and Edge watch the movie in silence for a while and when you fidget a little, your knee bumps on the camera.

“Oh damn… I left it turned on…? Hope there’s still enough tape left,” you mutter and turn the device off.

* * *

The voices in the middle of the argument are a tad muffled, even with the camera peeking directly into the room at the far end of the corridor. The device takes its time to adjust the lens so the silhouettes aren’t that blurry. The tall skeleton is looming over the small tattered desk while pointing at a stack of paper with his bony hand covered in a fingerless glove. He sounds angry as he taps his phalanges on the page in front of him.

Right next to him stands a smaller, but still tall, human. Damien rubs his face with his hand in a gesture full of exasperation and lack of patience. He says something while frowning and rips the pages he’s holding in half.

“They’re fighting again…”, a soft voice states the fact.

“I-It’s more of a… dis… discussion, y-you know?”, Toby mutters.

Cindy lets out a sigh. “Fifth time in a row?”

The camera shifts a little and bumps slightly on the doorframe that’s right next to the eavesdropping duo.

“That’s ho... how they work.”, the drummer’s voice is a little more confident. “Seems t-that this so-song is important to them.”

Edge shakes his head and sits on the chair again. His gestures are clearly agitated but he pulls the papers closer to him and starts writing something. Damien takes a seat across the table and does the same.

“You know something about it?”, Cindy asks with a curiosity clear in her voice.

“P… perhaps…”, Toby chuckles.

“Tell me!”, she squeals and the camera shakes a little.

The drummer takes a deep breath. “No.”

“Ugh… really? You’re like ______. I wanna know too!”, she raises her tone slightly.

The other eavesdropper shushes her immediately. “They’ll h-h-hear you…”

“I just don’t understand why this time the song must be such a secret. We usually work on them together...”, there’s a clear pout in the way she’s speaking.

Toby hums. “It’s pe-personal… I think.”

“Toby…”

“No.”

“Tooooooobsss…”

“Shhh… they’ll he-hear us…”, the camera shakes again as the drummer chides his friend.

Cindy mumbles something and Toby groans.

“Ugh! D-don’t lick me!”, he complains.

That attracts the attention of the musicians working on a song. They turn in unison to glare at the door the other two are hiding in.

“Oh shit…”, the redhead breathes in a half-scared way.

Cindy runs through the ruined room and into the next hallway, and Toby, holding the camera in his shaky hand, follows. Their footsteps echo on the stairs as they finally reach the rehearsal room. Their breathing is loud and heavy and quickly turns into a fit of nervous giggles.

“ **What’s so funny?** ”, a low voice asks.

“We’re just-”

The camera got turned off again.

* * *

(Playing: [[link]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ))

When the camera is turned on the only thing that is visible in the shot are a white ceiling and two pairs of feet. One pair has mismatched socks and fluffy slippers on, the other one wears worn sneakers with neatly tied shoelaces. A few seconds pass before the music starts playing.

The first pair of feet starts swaying to the music and the sneakers join in later, a tad more in unison with the song’s rhythm. Throughout the whole recording that’s all that happens. The feet just bunce left and right, sometimes together, sometimes in a different way, but nothing else is shown.

When the song ends, the screen goes black.

* * *

The camera comes back to life and quickly adjusts its focus. The scene happens in the living room in your loft. Whoever holds the device, places it on the table between a soda drink bottle and a handful of a colorful die, pointing it a way so that the whole group is visible in the slightly dimmed lights.

“Alright… now it’s Damien’s turn.”, a commanding voice of the ginger woman calls from behind the camera. “What do y-”

She is immediately interrupted by a tall and menacing skeleton sitting on the carpet at the very far end of the coffee table, squeezed between you and Toby. “ **Wait! What do you mean I’m _dead_?!** ”

“Um… you’re dead. Your hit points are below zero.”, she explains. “That last attack killed your character.”

Edge points angrily at a bunch of die in front of him. “ **But I had a _critical roll_ on that!** ”

After a patient sigh, Cindy continues. “Yes. But that bad guy also had a critical roll on his attack. You kinda… killed each other. It was very brave and epic, just as I described. He shattered your armor and pierced you right through your chest but you’ve managed to take a swing and chop his head right off. He won’t be bothering anybody anymore.”

“ **That’s _stupid_ …**”, he scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest in a pouty manner.

“Aw. Don’t worry.”, you lean towards him and bump your elbow against his arm. “I’ll sing you a beautiful song at the funeral, Richard Bones.”

Edge grinds his teeth. “ **I _hate_ you for that name, you know that.** ”, he seethes at you lowly and raises his voice right after that. “ **We were supposed to lift the curse, human! How are you going to do that without _me_ now?** ”

Damien, sitting next to you, immediately chimes in with an oddly haughty tone. “Do not fret, my fallen comrade.”, he raises his hand dramatically. “We had a lot of disagreements…"

“… you kinda stabbed him at the beginning.”, you mutter with a smirk.

The bassist clears his throat loudly but not enough to disrupt the rest of your comment. “But… as we’ve fought side by side I saw that our cause is just and that poor woman must be freed from her terrible predicament. As I’ve said at the beginning of our strenuous quest, I will finish what we started, even if it ends me! I, Lucifer Valiantheart, promise you that.”

The taller skeleton rolls his eye lights and collects his die from the table. “ **Ugh… just shut up already. I’m dead. Whatever.** ”

“ **Imma loot his ass.** ”, says the small scarred skeleton sitting right next to Toby.

“ ** _HEY!_** ”, Edge snaps at his brother.

Red chuckles. “ **What? Ya dead. Survival of the fittest n’ shit like that.** ”

The tall skeleton looks at him pointedly. “ ** _Seriously, Sans?_** ”

“...what?”, a sleepy voice mumbled and a skeletal hand of someone lying on the ground next to Damien moved to grab a die.

Edge glared at the hand. “ **The other Sans. I am _not_ talking to a sentient rock...** ”

“fair enough.”, Sans yawned and poked Damien’s shoulder. “throw me at another baddie. i think i have one more turn on my chill aura.”

The bassist nods at that plan and gathers his own die. He doesn’t roll them yet, instead just leans over a piece of paper with a lot of numbers written on it.

“D-don’t worry E-Edge… I can al… always ra-raise you as m… my undead ser-servant.”, Toby comments with a small smile.

The skeleton is not pleased with that idea. “ **As if I will let you!** ”

“ _Please_ , do that.”, you lean slightly to have a better view of the drummer. “I wanna hear Toby make your voice too. That ghoul one was _awesome_.”

“ **Heh. Yeah. Make him call ya ‘ _master_ ’.**”, Red suggests with a chuckle.

Edge snarls and raises his hand. “ **Sans. I am _this close_ to losing my patience with you today.** ”

“ **Yer fingers kinda touch, bro…** ”, the smaller skeleton hunches a little and hides behind Toby.

“ _ **Precisely** **.**_ ”

“Tobs, Tobs. Do the voice again.”, you wave at the drummer to gain his attention.

“Uh…”, Toby looks directly at the camera and his ears immediately turn red.

Cindy lets out a patient sigh. “You all remember that you’re in a middle of a _fight_ , outnumbered _five to one_ , because _somebody_ couldn’t keep his sticky hands to himself, right?”

“ **I said ‘sorry’ three times!** ”, Red huffs and leans towards the camera. “ **I’m a rogue! I see a shiny, I take it!** ”

The smaller skeleton manages to reach the device and turn it off.

* * *

Edge turns on the device and squints his eye sockets a bit. His face is very close to the camera and every little scar on his bone is pronounced by the lighting in his room. He cocks his head a little and looks behind himself before backing away and sitting on his bed.

“ **Hey, _______.** ”, he starts in an awkward tone. “ **Just so you know, I still think this movie idea is _stupid_ … but it seems important to you. So I’ll contribute.**”

He sighs and looks at his knees with a grimace. “ **I don’t know what to say here, so bear with me. We didn’t have toys like this in the Underground. We… didn’t have a lot at all.** ”

“ **There are so many things I wish I could tell you about that… About me, and my brother, and our life but… I usually can’t.** ”, he admits in a softer tone and fidgets on the bed. As he places his bare bony hands on his knees, he continues. “ **I am not allowed to talk about certain topics, you understand how politics can be with you humans. And there are… other things…** ”

He is quiet for a moment.

“ **... you wanted to know about my scars and I… never answered your question. Not _fully_. I don’t think I would be ever able to talk about this with you. Certainly not in person. I know we made a promise that, no matter what we say about our past or ourselves, we won’t change the way we think about each other… but…** ”, he hesitates and takes a short glance at the camera. His eye lights seem much smaller now.

“ **I wish I could believe that. I’m _trying_ to.** ”, Edge sighs. “ **But there are some things I did that make me… You shouldn’t ignore them. You shouldn’t behave as if those things didn't matter and I know you wouldn’t so… I believe you deserve the truth but I can’t… I just can’t tell you…** ”

The skeleton hangs his head low. “ **We’re out of the Underground for over two years… and I've only lately noticed what kind of person I am. I… I always knew that but it was way easier to just _ignore_ it. Ignore my conscience. I did it so often it became a habit… or even a second nature of mine.** ”, he stares at his scarred hands. “ **To be cold, and loud, and demanding… and an asshole. To be _the_ Captain. It was… all I knew there, all I thought I was good at. But… I-I can’t be that _here_.** ”, he lets out a shaky breath.

“ **I don’t know how to be somebody else.** ”, Edge admits in a defeated tone. “ **I don’t even know if I _want_ to be a Captain anymore. You showed me a whole new world… a world where I don’t fit… not in the current shape. Maybe not… ever.** ”

He shakes his head and straightens himself a little but his gaze avoids the camera.

“ **I’m… I’m trying. Trying to leave the Underground for good but there’s always something in me that feels… there.** ”, he touches his chest idly. “ **You help me… a lot. Other… everybody tries to do that too… But that… that sometimes doesn’t seem to be enough. I’m still the same.** ”

His brow bones knot in a painful expression. “ **I’m still… getting pissed off by the smallest shit. I still get… aggressively defensive and I… I still want to hurt people. Those who anger me or seem to be a… a threat. I notice that. I know about that… It’s just usually… too late to fix things when it happens.** ”

“ **I know that I’ve changed. _A little_.** ”, he rubs the back of his skull while staring at the wall and smirks sadly. “ **It took me over two years and one _particularly_ crazy human to achieve that though. What I mean is… that’s not thanks to me. I don’t feel like I’m… healing. At all. And it was supposed to be better on the Surface.** ”

“ **I’m… I’m scared, ________.** ”, he says and casts a nervous look at the camera. “ **I don’t want to be like that but… I just am. I’m scared… that I will never… never feel whole again. That I... I will be just broken for the rest of my life and there will be only one person at fault here. That all I will do is… just _take_ and hurt people. All the kindness and patience and… everything. All _your_ kindness… All I ever do is say hurtful shit at you. Even when I’m friends with you now… I _complain_ , call you _disgusting_ , _yell_ at every little thing you do… And… And your presence in my life means so much to me and I can’t do _shit_ to show how grateful I am…** ”

“ **... sometimes I wonder _why_ are you even my friend… what could you _possibly_ …**”, he immediately shuts his teeth with a loud click.

An angered expression replaces the vulnerable and defeated one in a second. The skeleton raises from the bed and stomps towards the device with a low growl. “ **What the _fuck_ am I doing…** ” The screen goes black. 

* * *

 Edge was disgusted with himself.

He just wanted to tell you a little bit about him. Something… maybe not that intimate but at least more _private_. You told him more about yourself, you spent a fair share of hours discussing some deep shit with him with comfort and reliance and he just felt obligated to give something similar in return. But not **_this_**.

Not this sappy, cringy, stupid nonsense. He just bared himself to you in a way that made him shudder with fright when he realized what had actually happened. He even almost teared up while saying some of his deepest fucking fears. That was so weak and so pitiful. So… him.

And you were far more dangerous to him than he could have ever imagined. There was a part of him that delighted in a mere idea of being vulnerable around you because you felt _safe_. It wasn’t because of the feelings he had towards you… not entirely. It plainly felt that he could be like that around you and he could finally fucking rest. Let the walls around himself crumble to dust, let all the shit he had gathered deep inside out and… feel free.

And Edge utterly despised this weak part of himself. He couldn’t even _stand_ the thought of being this defenseless and yet he still yearned for that. Why couldn’t he be more… just more? Why was he always lacking something, be it patience or inner strength? Why was he always so pathetic?

The skeleton stared at the small screen of the camera with disgust and moved his scarred thumb to press a button. The footage started rewinding. It was both terrifying and nauseating to see his hunched form sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands, nervously touching the back of his skull, avoiding looking at the camera… at you.

Edge pressed another button when the screen went black for a moment, indicating the part he recorded got fully rewinded, and let out a tense sigh. He couldn’t let you see him like this. You… wouldn’t like it. _He_ didn’t like it at all.

He shook his head to force the blooming feeling of doubt away. No rewinding, no retaking, no fixing… just like in life, you said. He  _had_  to though. He knew it broke the rules of the silly movie idea but he had to make sure you never saw that _pathetic piece of shit_ he could be. 

The camera was placed back on his desk and the skeleton made sure it was positioned correctly, this time pointing a little higher. He reached for his violin case and opened it up quickly. He didn’t plan on sharing this piece just yet as it was still unfinished but… it was better than what he had recorded. _Anything_ would be better.

He pressed the red button on the camera and straightened himself proudly before he started playing.

(Playing: [[link]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDgM2aOKgl8))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know.  
> I'm NOT sorry.  
> Let me know what you think, my beautiful Readers!
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord. There's also fanart tag where you can easily browse all magnificent things you did for me and my skellies. Please feel free to show those people some love!


	26. Cloud with a Silver Lining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You open up. Also, Sans is a little shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fair warning, this chapter will have some heavier stuff being discussed. But there will be ups and downs all the way through like usual.
> 
> And! 
> 
> [That's the song you're dancing to with Edge :>](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0uN3REgIRk)
> 
> Remember I'm always eager to read your thoughts about the chapters! Let me know how you liked this one!

Edge headed to the rehearsal a little earlier than he usually did. He didn’t have anything else to do at home, and sitting idly on his ass until the time comes wasn’t something that felt right to him. His heavy boots scrunched on the dirty pavement in the rhythm that reminded him of some songs the Miserable Lot was practicing a few days ago.

It was still odd for him to think of himself as a part of the band. He _knew_ he was accepted, even Damien actually wanted him to be there, but… something still didn’t sit right in his soul. He wasn’t as naive to think that getting into the band would actually fix anything, but he had hoped he would be at least more at ease. The skeleton wasn’t sure what caused this anxious feeling in him. Was it your trip home? He would miss you, of course, but being so restless because of that was just plain ridiculous.

_Right?_

Those past few weeks, filled with a flurry of work, rehearsals and silly activities in bigger groups, were something utterly new to him. As long as he was on the Surface, this was the first time he spent so much time doing something. Every day was different, every day brought new small adventures and despite being tired frequently, he couldn’t stay at home even when there were no plans at all. The fact that those hangouts also meant he was able to spend some quality time with his brother was propelling him even more towards that. He was exhilarated to see that Sans stopped being so jumpy around him and they could have some fun together. It still required Toby or you to be around but… he didn’t mind that. It felt _good._

As he reached the building, he thought he was the first one to arrive. There was no sign of Damien’s motorcycle in sight and the bassist usually brought one of the humans along. However, after climbing a few flights of stairs, he heard music playing upstairs, clearly indicating somebody had arrived before him. The cracked walls and bare floors echoed the sounds in an eerie way, making him feel like he was inside of an empty pipe.

A few steps more allowed him to hear singing alongside the music. It wasn’t anything the Miserable Lot used to play but the song still sounded familiar. And he was more than certain that the recorded singer’s voice was accompanied by _your_ own. He followed the song upstairs and stopped right in front of the rehearsal room.

The door was wide open, a bunch of keys with a colorful keychain still stuck in the keyhole, and you were inside. Alone.

You were dancing and bouncing to the music, singing along with your beautiful voice. Or at least that’s what Edge thought. He didn’t give a _flying_ fuck if your voice was considered the best or the worst in human standards - his opinion mattered to him the most and, for him, your singing was _perfect_. As well as your silly dancing. Your energy was endearing and Edge sometimes envied you how you were able to live your human life to the fullest, even if it was just a simple situation like that.

You noticed him after a few silly pirouettes but that didn’t mean you were going to stop having your fun. You spun again and jumped to your phone connected to the speakers, but instead of turning the music off, you turned the volume up. With a giddy smile, you bounced towards him, your both hands outstretched in his direction.

“ **Ah… _come on_ …**”, the skeleton groaned while rolling his eye lights. That didn’t discourage you though.

With a smile, that _damned_ smile of yours, you reached to his bony hands and grabbed them gently. He felt the warmth of your fleshy grip immediately seep into his bones and wrapped his own phalanges on yours by reflex. He knew he could move away at any given time, and he was sure you knew he often needed some encouragement to do half of the stupid shit he’d done already. So, without much resistance, he tightened his grasp on your hands a little and he let out a deep and exaggerated sigh as he allowed you to drag him to the middle of the room.

You continued singing, jumping around, dancing and smiling… and Edge _loved_ it. He still kept his unhappy scowl and stood in place as you continued your shenanigans, though it was only half-hearted. His full focus was on _you_ , on your eyes shining brighter than any star he had seen, on the way you were holding his hands as you spun and danced around him. He only followed you by turning in place and you seemed to have the time of your life anyway.

As the song finished, you finally stopped bouncing and faced the skeleton with a huge smile on your lips. “That was _fun._ ”, you said.

He noticed you were panting a little, your cheeks a tad flushed from the whole dancing. He had noticed a lot of things about you lately... things he had just ignored before. Things that still didn’t matter to him in other people.

“ **It was… not awful.** ”, he admitted in a grumble.

As soon as his words rang in the air, another song started. This one was much slower than the previous song, it sounded much sadder too. You started swinging your arms to the melody which made his own hands swing too - despite the end of the dancing, you kept your fingers entwined with his bony phalanges.

“ **Don’t tell me you want to dance to this too…** ”, he groaned and leaned back a little.

“Yes. I _wanna._ ”, you grinned devilishly at him, clearly having a blast with forcing a big and intimidating skeleton to do some stupid shit with you again.

“ **Fine.** ”, he said, for the thousandth time giving in to your weirdness. “ **But we do it properly. I won’t stoop to your level and bounce like an idiot.** ”

Before he thought twice about the craziness your smile pushed him into, he pulled you towards himself and wrapped his arm around your waist. As his sanity was coming back to him, he stiffened a little but continued nonetheless and grabbed your other hand properly, deciding to take the lead. You were clearly surprised for a second, and the skeleton was already kicking himself mentally for that forwardness, but you quickly caught up to his idea and placed your free hand on his shoulder.

He needed all his might not to shiver from the sensation of your warm fingers grazing his collarbone through the thick black jumper he was wearing. Edge both regretted and was so fucking glad that he left his jacket at home this time.

“Why, mister Edgy McEdge from the house of Edges… I didn’t know you dance.”, you said in a playful tone as he led you across the room in a few slow but confident steps.

He scoffed at you, focusing on talking rather than on the fact he was stupid enough to put himself in this situation. “ **I do, but hardly any situation meets my standards to do so.** ”, he couldn’t help but smirk a little.

“I’m flattered then.”, you jokingly moved your eyebrows up and down and that made him chuckle lowly.

“ ** _You’re infuriating…_** ”, he shook his head but the smirk on his face remained.

You laughed and leaned back a little. The skeleton tightened his grasp on your waist to keep your balance during the dance. He felt your soft stomach pressing against his pelvis and the warmth of your hand on his shoulder was almost burning him now. He marveled at this sensation for a long while, not saying anything, just focused on you and keeping his composure. Edge didn’t want to get flustered around you. Not when the reason for this would be _so obvious_.

He wondered whether you even knew what your touch was doing to him.

Edge immediately chased that thought away and held you closer while spinning around suddenly. Your face lit up with a smile again. He knew thinking this way about you was out of line but at the same time, he wasn’t going to waste this moment on his dark thoughts. Not now. Not with you.

“ **I know this song.** ”, he spoke up, trying to ground himself with your presence even more.

You furrowed your brows a little. “Oh, yeah. I think I was listening to this band when you… well… first came to my apartment?”, you said with a tad tense smile.

The skeleton mulled over your words for a few seconds and then it clicked. The headphones. You had used them to block the sound of thunder when you took care of him then. Without even thinking, he grimaced and looked away.

“ **Ah. That explains it...** ”, he muttered, suddenly very embarrassed about that past situation.

The song was still echoing in the room and Edge almost mindlessly danced with you as his thoughts attacked him again. You saved him back then, yet he threatened you later and his intentions were _far_ from peaceful. He was _dangerous_. Had he known what he knows about you now...

He felt how the grip on his hand loosened. “Yeah… sorry for bringing that up.”, you said softly.

Edge quickly turned his skull to look at you. “ **That’s not it.** ”, he snapped.

You were looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and regret in your eyes and that last part made his soul stutter painfully. The skeleton stared at your face for a while, scowling as he usually did. But that anger was aimed at himself again, as he figured out the reason you hadn’t touched the subject of his fear of storms at all during your time with him.

“ **I remembered how… _uncivil_ I was back then.** ”, he finally said. “ **My behavior was uncalled for.** ”

He watched as your eyebrows rose in surprise. As you were opening your mouth to say something a loud thud and a familiar voice rang from behind.

“Well, I'll be damned…”, the bassist said in a tone Edge hadn’t heard before.

Resisting the sudden urge to push you away, he embraced you tighter for a short and _stupidly_ self-indulgent moment before spinning you around in a very fancy and very final dance move. You giggled happily during that and ended the dance with a slightly wobbly curtsy.

“Hiya, Dam. You’re late.”, you said happily and, still flushed a little after all that dancing, you quickly walked towards your device to turn the music off. Only now Edge had noticed the song he was dancing with you to had ended a while ago and another one was playing already.

Damien was eyeing the skeleton carefully. “Yeah. I can see that.”, he put Cindy’s guitar next to his. “Toby went with Cin to get some soda for us. So we’ll probably start a little later than usual anyway.”

Ignoring the looks he got from the bassist, Edge picked up his violin and started checking whether it didn’t go flat over those few days he wasn’t able to play it. The warmth of your body was still lingering in his bones and the skeleton wished Damien was even _more_ late to the rehearsal this time.

Though on the other hand… it was better that way. He probably overdid it this time. The last thing he wanted is for you to learn about his stupid feelings.

“Alright, bone guy, let’s get down to business...”, Damien said a little louder to attract his attention but was immediately interrupted by your enthusiastic voice.

“ _... to defeat. The Hun!_ ”, you sang loudly.

Inaudible voices answered from the already moving elevator. The words couldn’t be heard clearly but the melody still matched the song you started.

The bassist scoffed with a smile. “Yeah, not this time.”, he said and finished setting up his guitar.

Cindy and Toby slowly entered the rehearsal room while hauling two big shopping bags filled with snacks and sodas - a very important fuel for all the musicians. Edge rolled his eye lights at the sight of two most frail Miserable Lot members carrying groceries and snatched the bags from them with a very unhappy growl.

Panting, Cindy collapsed onto a stolen park bench and leaned back with her hands and legs sprawled comfortably. Toby sat next to her, also clearly tired but a little less. He gave a small timid wave when the skeleton turned around to look at them just when the bassist took out a painfully familiar stack of papers out of his backpack and looked around as if checking something.

“Your brother won’t be around this time?”, he asked Edge.

He shook his head. “ **No. He’s got evening shifts until the end of this week.** ”, the skeleton answered, already feeling a claw of tension clutching at his soul.

“Then I guess we could finally start practicing this one.”, Damien waved with the papers he was holding.

The other three humans almost simultaneously perked up and Edge’s scowl deepened. He didn’t object though. He was in a band with other people, not just with the bassist. There would be no point on working so hard on one fucking song just to hide it under the mattress, right?

“Is this that super- _duper_ -secret song you two were writing?”, Cindy was the first one to quickly approach the leader. Her hands were already reaching for the papers though she barely resisted the urge to grab them.

Damien quirked his brow a little. “Yes.”, he handed her one small stack of paper. “The lyrics are _mostly_ done… or at least we couldn’t come up with anything to make it sound better. There’s also the main melody line… but there’s still a lot to do. I figured we could try a few approaches…”, he looked at Edge while handing you one stack too. “Maybe we’ll try with the synthesizer instead of the violin. I’m not sure this one would go well with…”

“ ** _Yes_.** ”, the skeleton snapped at him and waved dismissively while sitting on the bench, now alone, as Toby was heading over to Damien to get his copy of the lyrics too. “ **I know. Just… do your shit. We pick the best way _after_ we have anything to pick from.** ”

The whole process of writing lyrics with Damien had been… probably one of the hardest and weirdest things Edge had a chance to do lately. The skeleton didn’t even understand why the bassist was so interested in what he wrote for their stupid lyrics game, and why he was so fucking involved in polishing something that wasn’t actually his.

But there it was. Edge was trying to forcefully keep his hands relaxed, though he felt a strong urge to clench his fists so hard until he won’t feel his phalanges. Waiting for the rest of the group to read the lyrics in silence was _killing him_ and he started regretting the whole time and effort he put into writing this way too personal piece. What was he even thinking?

When the silence lasted a little too long for his tastes, he glanced at the rest of the band and saw that you, Cindy and Toby were exchanging odd looks.

“ ** _What?_** ”, he barked aggressively, already wishing he could tear those incriminating pages to pieces.

You looked at Damien for a while, a question in your eyes visible even from where Edge was sitting. After the bassist shook his head your attention turned to the skeleton. “Is this… about your brother... Annie?”, you asked, your tone both careful and slightly giddy.

He huffed loudly and looked away. “ **...yes.** ”

“ _Awww…._ ”, Cindy’s voice rang in the silence.

“ **Shut up.** ”, he seethed, feeling his cheekbones get slightly flushed with magic.

“Edge…”, you started, your tone annoyingly close to the one Cindy used. “... this is so-”

The skeleton rose to his feet and angrily pointed his finger at you. “ **I said shut up! Don’t you _dare_ finish that sentence!** ”

“... sweet?”, Toby muttered with a small smile.

“ **ARGH!** ”, the skeleton yelled in exasperation while clutching his head in his hands.

* * *

 Fortunately, the whole teasing spree that the rest of the band gleefully began stopped fairly quickly when Damien told them to start the practice. Edge was grateful for that but didn’t say anything to let the bassist know - he was still too fucking angry and embarrassed to say anything even remotely civil. He focused on listening to Toby’s tips on how to use the synthesizer instead, so his part of the song would sound remotely desirable and on treating the device as gently as he could, not to break it because of his emotions.

After a few tries, they still sounded _awful_. Only once or twice the whole take on the song was half-decent by his standards but after a good hour of tweaking their approach to accommodate the lyrics and the message, they all got frustrated and tired. Edge also felt very uncomfortable hearing his words being sung by Damien. Of course, it wouldn’t be any other way as the skeleton was no singer but still… it didn’t sit right with him. Felt almost _cowardly_.

The short break was filled with silent eating and drinking. Cindy and Toby outdid themselves by bringing what seemed to be  _half_ of the store when it came to sweets, drinks and also some more healthy snacks.

“We… we could… r-record some takes to hear… hear them, right?”, the small drummer broke the silence in between the bites of the sandwich he chose.

Damien shook his head with a sigh. “It’s still broken. The guy at the shop said they don’t have parts yet.”, he muttered.

A tad disappointed murmur filled the room.

“We still have that camera though?”, Cindy perked up and looked at you.

“Mmmm, yeah.”, you answered and slurped some more juice from the box. “I think it’s still at Edge’s.”

The skeleton nodded curtly and focused on his own soda in his bony hands. After his disgusting breakdown he had in front of the camera, he tried to forget about the whole movie idea. He turned the device off right after he stopped playing the piece and hid it in the drawer. He knew he should give you your camera back already but there was still something inside him that made him postpone it indefinitely.

He considered telling you the truth, he _really_ did. But it always ended up the same - just like with the idea of telling you about the situation with Toby. Everybody knew he and the small drummer had been attacked but… only Damien knew what had really happened. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to worry and disappoint you, knowing at the same time that his hesitation to be honest with you would also disappoint you.

“There’s no rush anyway…”, the bassist’s voice stopped his train of thoughts. “We’d better try and find something and do that later… maybe after you come back?”

The question was directed at you and you nodded lazily as you leaned back against the wall.

“You guys still can practice when I’m gone, you know? My singing is just an addition, you did great without me before”, your voice echoed in the rehearsal room.

The date of your departure was getting close. Too close for Edge’s tastes. You did have your return ticket already, and that fact made him feel a little better. It would be stupid to think that you wouldn’t come back here though. It was your new life and new home, right?

Cindy waved her hand and went back to playing with her curly hair. “It’s not like we’ll have time for that in December. I have like… seven presents to make.”

The small drummer stuffed the wrapper of his meal into a bag that was meant to be their ‘trash can’ for the time being. “Yeah… we… we are a band n-now so… We’ll wait. ”, he shrugged.

“ **Humans and their holidays…** ”, the skeleton grumbled bitterly. If it wasn’t for Christmas, you would stay in Ebott after all.

“Alright, let’s try something else.”, Damien stood up and grabbed his guitar. “One last time, promise. Then we’ll go back to our usual stuff. We can work on it a little too.”

The last take on the new song wasn’t that awful but they quickly switched to the more polished and familiar stuff. It was a little easier for everybody to play something they knew by heart. Toby seemed to have a somewhat fun time trying to merge Edge’s violin into the rest of the songs and most of his attempts already sounded quite good. He also seemed comfortable with the big skeleton looming over him when he explained the ideas he had for certain parts. All of the Miserable Lot seemed like that to Edge.

Still… there was _something_ missing. Something that made him feel like he forgot about something _very_ important and that made Edge more anxious than he thought he should feel.

“Edge of Allegiance?”, your voice chimed from behind him when he was putting his violin back into the case.

He turned his head to look at you and continued his task. “ **What, human?** ”

You took a few steps and stopped right next to him, peeking into the violin case with curiosity.

“I’ve been thinking… The weather report for today said it’s gonna be really shitty later. Like… raining cats and dogs and all that loud jam.”, your voice sounded noncommittal but had something in it that made him look at you again. “You wanna come over and watch some movies and stuff?”

When the meaning of your words finally hit him, he froze for a moment. A careful glance over his shoulder assured him that the other humans were too busy with themselves to hear what you just said. As Edge looked back at you, he saw your usual smile that was a tad different this time. Softer, much more gentle. It was the one that reminded him how your voice sounded when you called him a “big guy”.

“ **I see.** ”, he muttered. “ **If that’s the case, fine. I don’t have other plans.** ”

He actually… had some plans. The skeleton was perfectly aware that there was a thunderstorm coming and he planned to stay at home, in his room. His Sans was at work for the most of the evening anyway, so there was no way he could be there for him, and the other skeletons… no. He was far from comfortable with telling them he needs company.

Well, not entirely. The whole company idea wasn’t exactly bad and that farfetched. They had spent some time with each other after all. Especially lately. But he abhorred the idea of being forced to act like a scared child with Papyrus present… or worse. With that fucking lazybones.

Edge still had some shreds of dignity in him he planned to keep.

“Oh, cool!”, your face brightened the moment you smiled wider. “I’m gonna get my stuff and we can go, yeah?”

* * *

 This time, the storm wasn’t one of those that hit without a warning. The dark clouds hung low over the far side of the city and it took it a while to even reach the district your apartment was in. You and Edge had managed to reach your place long before the actual storm started and that gave you a time to annoy him a few times with your picks when it came to the movies.

Finally, when the movie was already playing, the soft taps of rain hitting the windows got louder and the far grumbling of thunders made Edge stiffen from upcoming panic. He was already wrapped tightly in that blasted fluffy blanket, getting mentally ready for his most hated part of the Surface's weather.

He kept his arms close to his body, fingers dug into his jumper’s material as you left the living room to search for something in your room. He focused on his breathing, not on panicking over the fact that he was left _alone_ in the room for the short while. He was set on fighting this time. It meant no clinging to you too.

On one hand, he wanted to _feel_ you more often so he should be happy that he would have yet another chance for that, especially when he knew you were oh so willing to offer your warmth to him. But on the other hand…  He was repulsed by the mere idea that his thoughts would go that way this time. You were his _friend_. He shouldn’t use the kindness you gave him for his own _self-indulgent_ pleasure, no matter how ‘innocent’ it seemed from the outside. This is why he was determined to keep his hands to himself.

When you came back from your room, you had a familiar device and headphones in your hands. Edge noticed that and shook his head violently, not uttering a word. He was going to fight. He wasn’t going to be a wimp.

“... you don’t want it?”, you asked softly as you sat right next to him. He could feel the warmth of your body but he resisted the urge to lean on you even a little.

“ **I don’t.** ”, he grumbled, pleased that his voice didn’t sound so pathetic this time.

He didn’t want to block the thunders this time. He didn’t want to cut himself off of the horrible beast that was raging outside, he wanted to be _strong_ and fight his own fear. But it was getting harder already, with every second of the loud cracks that tore the sky up with the light so bright it was blinding.

“Okay…”, you put the headphones on the coffee table and used the remote to turn the movie’s volume up. “Isn’t it easier with them?”

Perhaps it was. But going that way was something he was trying to _avoid_. It was always easier to do go down the familiar path… but how was he going to change if he keeps doing the _same fucking thing_?

He took a deep breath. “ **I… I want to get rid of it…** ”, he muttered, avoiding looking at you and staring defiantly at the screen, not entirely focused on the movie itself. _Fuck,_ that rain was so loud.  “ **I don’t… don’t want… to keep surviving it every t-** ”

The sky got white for a split second and the whole apartment went dark when all the lights and the TV turned off simultaneously. Before he had any chance to say something to you, a loud cracking roar rolled over the apartment, making the floor under his feet shake, vibrating in his trembling chest. He even felt you jump a little because of the sheer volume of the thunder’s deafening boom.

With a whimper, he curled up tightly, his breathing suddenly rapid and shallow from fright. He smelled a familiar scent of your detergent from the blanket and he buried his face deeper into the soft material. Only then he noticed he closed his eye sockets shut so tightly it almost hurt.

A gentle, almost questioning touch on his shoulder was enough for him to break his resolve and lean towards you. With a relieved shudder, he welcomed your weak human embrace as it closed around his shoulders.

Fuck it. _Fuck it._ He couldn’t do that.

“It's alright, big guy… that’s an ugly one.”, you said softly. You were so close to him he heard you despite the rain loudly rapping on the windows and the murmur of the previous thunder still growling in the distance.

He was glad he was wrapped too tightly in the blanket and wasn’t able to grab you in any way. All that was left for him was just to pathetically wriggle his way between you and the couch until there was very little room for him to move anymore. The warmth of your body was quickly seeping through the layers of clothes and blanket to his trembling bones and he felt his stuttering soul calm down a bit.

Edge kept his eye sockets shut and his face buried in your chest just to block the flashes of light that heralded the roar of the unbeatable beast that hung low over your apartment. He tried to focus on your warm hand pressing to his shoulder blade and making small circles in a soothing motion. His breathing got a little less frantic over the time but it was still hitching with every thunder reaching his curled up form.

_He was so stupid and weak._

“Hey…”, you murmured as your hand wandered from his back to his shoulder and squeezed it a little. “... you still with me, big guy?”

When the meaning of your words finally reached him, he nodded and moved a little to press the side of his skull to your chest. He thought he could hear your heartbeat when the raging nature was quiet enough for him to catch that. But maybe that was just his imagination.

“… how did your brother help you through that?”, your voice was a little louder this time but still gentle.

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts. “ **Not like that…** ”, he huffed. “ **He… he just kept talking about shit. He a-annoyed me…** ”, a flash of light made him lose his voice for an agonizingly long second when he waited for the thunder to pass.

“ **... just… just to… make me focus on something else.** ”, he finished his thought in a tiny and pathetic voice.

“I _can_ do that.”, your voice sounded a little too eager for his tastes.

He shook his head and took a shaky breath filled with the scent of your blanket. “ **Don’t…** ”

“But if that will help you…”, you squeezed his shoulder again.

“ **Just…** ”, he was forced to stop again as yet another dull rumble echoed outside. “ **... we can just… t-talk…** ”

“Sure thing, big guy.”, you took a deep breath and began stroking his arm slowly. “What do you want to talk about?”

“ **I-I… I don’t know…** ”, he stuttered as he tried his best to focus on something else than his fear. “ **Anything…** ”

You hummed and that silly sound resonated in your chest a little. He could feel it.

“ **... like… what are you scared of… or… or some other shit.** ”, he mumbled. “ **... cause you know that about me... I… I can’t think…** ”

He felt you hold your breath for a while and the silence that fell between you and him was almost as loud as the thunder that died out a while ago. Through the haze of his fear, he remembered how you jokingly avoided the same question a few times before. That question was _selfish_ , especially now.

“ **You don’t ha-** ”, he started but you interrupted him.

“Shh…”, you shushed him. “It’s only fair, I guess.”

He tried to shake his head. “ **But…** ”

You gently put your warm hand on the back of his skull, making his eye sockets involuntarily close for a moment. “ _Shhh…_ ”, you said again, with more stubbornness in your voice.

A few claps of thunder came and went. Edge kept staring at the blanket in front of his nasal bone as you pet his scarred skull with your soft fingers. When he shook more violently because of the booming sound that reached into his soul, you tightened your embrace a little. He was still waiting for your words and soon, they came in a tone he’d never heard before.

“I’m… scared of dying.”, you said softly, your voice strained.

Despite yet another roar outside, his soul froze only because of _those_ words. His all focus was on you now, even if his body was still shaking from fright.

“I don’t mean just death. That’s… that’s fine, I guess.”, your tone sounded so distant now. “It’s just… the process of dying, extended in time. Being… being hopeless… and in pain and… and waiting. Just waiting. And being tired of that waiting… Knowing that everybody around you is tired too. So _fucking_ tired…”

You took a shaky breath. The skeleton tried to move his head and look at your face, but you placed your hand firmly on the back of his skull, preventing him from doing that. You hugged him closer and he didn't try to fight you at that moment.

You continued. “I don’t w-... I’m… I’m terrified of that, you know? That… I would be the sick one, the dying one… and I’ll… put the ones I love through… that _hell_. I don’t want to be that hopeless husk on the hospital bed. Like a living corpse. Like… like my dad-”

Your voice suddenly broke and you needed to take a few breaths. “ _God_ …”, you utter shakily.

Edge’s eye sockets were open wide but he didn’t try to look at you this time. With some effort, he wriggled his arm out of the blanket cocoon he was wrapped in and placed his scarred hand on your shoulder. The storm made him squeeze your flesh again but he managed to control himself this time. After his own trembling subsided a little, he began stroking your arm in an awkward attempt to soothe you.

“ **I think…** ”, he starts, feeling how inappropriate his words might sound now. “ **I think I could understand that…** ”, he murmured softly, his voice also a little shaky. “ **Monsters… Monsters don’t get sick like that. But they do fall down… while the rest of the family can just… wait.** ”

His thoughts for a split second went towards his brother but he quickly stopped them from following that path. You were here _now_. You were around and suffering because of his stupid need for being an equal and he wanted you to know he was there for you just like you were there for him. The storm was still raging over the apartment and he _hated_ that he was still scared and trembling... but he was there.

“Y-yeah… like that.”, you choked out.

He felt how the hand you kept on the blanket on his back moved and after a while, you touched his scarred hand. He stopped his futile attempts at calming you down with that gesture and slowly entwined his phalanges with your fingers.

You let out a very tense chuckle and squeezed his hand a little. “I _really_ hate hospitals…”

“ **I see.** ”, he answered as he gently squeezed your fingers back.

A silence fell between you and him as he mulled over what he just learned. How could he even compete with something like that? You saw this horror not so long ago, you looked death in the eyes. He was just an _asshole_.

He still kept idly rubbing his thumb on your shoulder and heard your breathing go back to normal.

“ **Now I know why… why you weren’t scared of me. Back then.** ”, he said after a while, trying to make his tone sound more light-hearted. “ **I thought… I was intimidating enough to make everybody shit their pants.** ”

You chuckled again and took a deeper breath. “Kind of… but…”, your voice trailed off.

“ **Hm?** ”, he moved a little and this time you didn’t restrain his movements.

“You’re going to be _mad_.”, you answered, your tone teasing in a way he recognized.

He lifted his head a little to look at you. “ **You can tell me…** ”, he assured, not entirely sure what could you mean by that. Were you making a joke or was it something else?

“You’re gonna throw me off the couch.”, you warned him again.

Edge squinted his eye sockets while staring straight into your slightly shining eyes. “ **_______.** ”

You smiled back at him. “ _I’m serious._ ”, there was not a drop of sincerity in your voice.

Edge huffed loudly. “ **Me too.** ”

“ _Fine._ ”, you mocked his usual tone and rolled your eyes. “But I’m staying on the floor if you do that.”

The threat sounded very silly to him and he felt a small smirk appear on his face.

“ **... deal.** ”, he answered after a while of staring at you.

There was a hint of hesitation in your eyes when he said that. “I just… every time I see you get angry or pissy about something… I remember what I saw in your eyes when I first met you in the storm.”

The sudden shift in your demeanor - from playful to a little more serious - caught him a little off guard. “ **What… what was it?** ”

You took a deep breath and said quickly. “A scared little kid.”

He blinked a few times, not entirely sure whether he should be mad at you or embarrassed with himself. With an angry scoff, he looked away and started wriggling in his spot between you and the couch.

“I _told_ you.”, your voice got whiny as you felt him push you away by his fidgeting.

“ **On the floor. Now.** ”, he growled half-heartedly. He really didn’t know how to answer that so he went with his usual way of dealing with your stupid shit.

“Edgeeeeeeee~!”, you whined louder.  “ _Nooooooo…_ I’m comfy heeeeere.”

You wrapped your arms tighter around him to somehow stop him from pushing you off the couch and to the ground. He registered how you pressed your cheek to the top of his skull and froze immediately as he felt your lips brush the surface of the scarred bone. Fortunately for him, this time the storm was working on his favor as this was the exact moment another thunder growled outside.

“ ** _… fine._** ”, he huffed when he calmed down again, though it was hard to tell which part of the situation left him more rattled. “ **I’ll let it slide this time.** ”

* * *

The skeleton was staring at a printed out copy of your list in his hands. Right next to the rows and rows of your terrible handwriting there were neatly looking translations written by his steady hand. His eye lights lingered at the last item on the very bottom of the list.

_Die with dignity_

Edge had dropped translating your list ever since the day he had an idea to do that from the very bottom. It was unnerving to him to see the last line, the very last thing you ‘planned’ on doing. At first, he had thought he just fucked up the translation but after checking it every way possible, he knew it was correct. _You_ wrote that.

Those words were ominous to him and struck a chord in the deepest parts of his very being. Both when it came to himself... and when he thought about you. Every time he looked at your list, just lying idly on the desk, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

This time those three words were still clutching his soul with cold fingers of dread… but now he _understood_. It wasn’t something you actually _aimed_ to do alongside the rest of your stupid, crazy, silly shenanigans and activities. It didn’t sit right with him for you to be even close to suicidal… but this thought sometimes lingered on the brink of his mind and was so _fucking_ unsettling. He knew being all crazy and smiling didn’t mean you didn’t have some shit happening beneath the surface but that thought was… just _no_. He didn’t want to go that way.

But now it made sense.

_Die with dignity_

Edge _understood_ that. That _hope_ and _fear_ contained in one simple sentence. Dying in bed, sick and powerless, falling down slowly, day after day. Dying under a bunch of rocks that fell off the ceiling, getting crushed by some higher power that couldn’t be fought. Dying somewhere in the street, wounded and alone, slowly crumbling to dust as there was nobody willing to help. He had seen a fair share of dust piles like this in his life… not many but enough to feel his magic freeze in his bones. Nobody wanted to end like that. You didn’t want to either.

A sudden silly urge came over him. He felt like he should place the same sentence on the back of his own list. In a gesture of… solidarity with you. It felt both sappy and completely unnecessary for him but at the same time... He really wanted to do that.

The skeleton looked around and pat down his pockets in search of the piece of paper filled with weird, unfamiliar activities he aimed to do one day, but it was nowhere on him or in the room. His desk was always tidy so he would find it in a blink if it was anywhere near.

He was sure he had it during his breakfast as his thoughts were still revolving around you and finding something interesting to do with you. To make you feel happy and to thank you for what you did for him again. Perhaps he left it somewhere and Doomfanger started playing with it? She was easily bored with her new toys and that wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. His cat was a mischievous little shit after all…

There was a chance that the list could be eaten by Rock if that was the case. That stupid mutt had a thing for paper too, though none of the skeletons was able to figure out why. Great.

Edge left his room and went down the stairs quickly, hoping the worst case scenario was just his pessimism showing its ugly head again. He noticed the cat sleeping lazily on the armchair, curled up into the tiniest white ball of fur, but there was no list next to her. He started looking under the couch and the coffee table when somebody not so far from him cleared his proverbial throat.

“yannow…”, Sans started in a lazy tone. “i’m kinda flattered you feel that way but… you’re not my type…”

The taller skeleton stood up and glared at his brother’s annoying counterpart, already clenching his fists. “ **What fucking _nonsense_ are you talking about?** ”

With a deliberately dramatic motion, Sans took a piece of folded paper out of his pocket and straightened it with the back of his hand. Edge’s soul came to a halt when he realized what the small skeleton was actually holding.

“khem…”, the stupid lazybones said before turning his eye lights towards the list. “‘tell sans i love him’.”, he read out loud. “touchin’, really. you even put it on your bucket list and all…”

As if Sans anticipated this, he immediately teleported away from the raging skeleton that was already leaping at him with his face contorted in a furious grimace.

“ **GIVE IT BACK!** ”, Edge roared at him, his face flushed with both embarrassment and pure fury.

It took him a moment to locate his victim but a second later he was jumping over the couch to reach the small skeleton and _tear him apart with his bare hands_. To his furious disappointment, Sans teleported again.

“nah. i don’t feel like huggin’ now, sweetheart.”, the small pain in the ass chuckled from the middle of the stairs, leaning on the balustrade in an almost relaxed way.

The taller skeleton didn’t waste any time and was already on his way to the stairs, still yelling. “ **THIS ISN’T FUNNY, YOU FUCKING PRICK!** ”

As soon as Sans was in his arm’s reach, he disappeared again, only to show his shit-eating grin on the top of the stairs. “heh... it is. a little. but…”

This whole teleportation thing was so frustrating to the tall skeleton he was beginning to see red already. He knew there was a limit to that jumping around but he wanted to get his hands on the annoying skeleton’s neck _right now_.

Sans was standing in the middle of the corridor next to the Papyrus’ room and he waved Edge’s list at him. “... lemme tell you a secret, edge.”

The taller skeleton stomped towards him, his resolve in not using magic in the house running thinner with every second this chase lasted. This was the very first time that bag of used socks confronted him like that and the tall skeleton was so fucking furious and lost. He _knew_ Edge couldn’t actually hurt him but never actually used that knowledge as protection.

What screw got loose in that lunatic’s skull this time?

“ **I DON’T HAVE PATIENCE FOR YOUR FUCKING JOKES!** ”, he attempted to grab him again, anger boiling in his bones and begging him to send a flurry of magic attacks at the jerk in front of him.

“yeah…”, Sans took a step back and that teleported him all the way to the end of the corridor, his back to the wall and his very own room to his right. “i’ve figured as much during those years.”

Before Edge was halfway to him, with his long and scarred hands reaching at him to do some serious harm… or at least to capture the smaller skeleton, Sans raised his hand in a stopping gesture.

“but i _get_ you.”, he said in a more serious tone.

Almost as if his hand was creating an invisible wall, Edge stopped dead in his tracks one step before reaching his target. He was still furious but that last sentence got through his red anger and quenched his thirst for violence enough to make him just stare at Sans angrily. For now.

Sans looked away and lowered his hand a little. “see... after all the shit i’ve endured in our underground - and i _know_ you think we had it all handed on the silver platter but _bear_ with me…”, he cast a short glance at Edge’s face. “after all that… i couldn’t say that to paps either.”

The meaning of those words hung between them heavily and Edge dropped his shoulders, his eye sockets wide open and eye lights almost glued to the smaller skeleton’s face. He noticed that his white eye lights seemed dimmer than usual.

“it felt _wrong_ …”, Sans’ voice sounded like an echo of Edge’s own thoughts. “it felt _not enough_. he deserved something better… someone better.”

The small hand dropped entirely and hung lifelessly on Sans’s side. The lazybones shrugged and his expression switched to a grimace for a while. “who gives a shit that i practically raised him. that was my fucking duty, right? i took care of him when he was a babybones… cause that’s how it should be. but then we got older and… eh…”

His shoulders hunched more after those words and for a while, Edge thought the small skeleton got even smaller. The other skeleton was too shocked by the whole situation to say anything for a long while. What should he say? He was still angry at that little prick but… what the fuck was that now?

“ **So…** ”, he had to clear his non-existent throat to make his voice sound less hoarse after all this shouting. “ **... why are you telling me this?** ”

A flash of embarrassment ran through Sans’ face and Edge saw a magic blush slowly appearing on his face.

“just to let you know you’re not alone with this one…”, he answered after a few moments of silence and handed the list back.

They stood in front of each other and the silence between them began to feel strained and very uncomfortable. Sans fidgeted in his spot a little and stuffed both of his hands into his pockets. He was avoiding Edge’s stunned gaze.

The taller skeleton looked at the list in his hands and slowly folded it in half. “ **How…** ”, he began, feeling twice as awkward after just this one word. He decided to continue nonetheless. “ **How did you finally do it? What happened?** ”

This situation was so unreal to him he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. But… this overprotective stupid prick was actually… opening up? Connecting with him? What?

“heh. paps happened. “, Sans smiled gently, his eye lights focused on something on the lower floor. “i got shitfaced once… grillbz had to call him to pick me up. and i just… mumbled that. when he was carrying me home.”

Edge resisted the urge to take a step back when the smaller skeleton finally looked at him. His face was still flushed from the embarrassment but the expression seemed too fucking familiar for the tall skeleton. It was almost as if he was looking at his own brother right now.

“you should’ve seen his expression, edge.”, Sans continued with a gentle smile. “he was so. _fucking. happy_... just like he was when he saw the sunrise for the first time. hell... he was _my_ sun at that moment. it was worth it. it’s worth it every time.”

Finally, the utter awkwardness of the situation hit the smaller skeleton too as he looked quickly away and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

“you’ll get there yourself… take your time, pal.”, he mumbled at the end and gave Edge’s arm a very unnaturally looking pat before going past him and disappearing after two steps.

Edge was left dumbfounded, a list in his hand and jaw parted in the stupidest expression he ever made in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans, you little loveable shit. I love him. My sad blue bean.
> 
>  
> 
> [The List Of Buckets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860641) \- for anyone interested in adding something to the weird things Edge could do with the Reader.
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord. There's also fanart tag where you can easily browse all magnificent things you did for me and my skellies. Please feel free to show those people some love!


	27. Bolt out of the Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody is angry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprised?  
> Cause I am too!
> 
> This chapter is much shorter than usual but is also more intense. I didn't plan for this chapter to look like that. It was meant to be longer, with more stuff happening but... it would be too much. That's why it's half the size but double the emotions and plot things.
> 
> I'm always eager to hear what you think about my chapters so feel free to comment!

Ever since that extremely awkward ‘talk’ they had, the lazybones of this world had kept avoiding Edge in any way possible. A few days had passed and the scarred skeleton saw only glimpses of the short form stuffed into an oversized hoodie and fluffy slippers - the teleportation magic obviously came in handy in this situation.

He wasn’t actually sure what to think of it. When it came to the conversation they’d had, Edge knew this wasn’t something his brother’s counterpart would normally do. Until now, he was even certain that this Sans just hated his guts. What had happened? Making this small bag of bones change his mind wasn’t an easy feat and he could think of only two people who were actually able to achieve that. But Papyrus never tried to force them both to get along and Frisk didn’t know him well enough to actually care about shit like that.

The fact that the smaller skeleton hadn’t dared to face him after the very odd and painfully familiar confession didn’t help at all. It only made Edge do the same when it came to his Sans. He knew it was stupid and cowardly but every time he heard his brother’s voice or saw him, a million thoughts entered his skull and he was at loss, so he quickly came up with excuses to never be alone in the room with him.

He wanted to tell him those words so badly but at the same time, he had a feeling this would be rushed because of that one conversation. That wouldn't be fair. And that wouldn’t be real. Edge wanted it to be _real_.

Of course, it was almost impossible to totally avoid his own brother. He was living with him, he spent time with Edge and the rest of the skeletons on some evenings and he also still came to the rehearsals. Fortunately then, he was too occupied with the music and hanging out with the other humans to actually notice Edge’s odd behavior. Or at least that’s what the tall skeleton hoped was happening. His brother wasn’t that dense after all, and the scarred skeleton had to get his shit together soon to avoid yet another awful and embarrassing talk.

Besides... he wanted to focus on _you_ too.

Everybody, including him, tried to hog some of your attention and time lately - you were leaving in five days and today was the last rehearsal you were going to attend before you fly to your country. You planned to spend some time with Miserable Lot members before you get on the plane but it still wasn’t enough to Edge.

The days were flying too fast for him, especially when they were filled with work, a ton of texts exchanged with you, and rehearsals. Every minute spent on something that wasn’t even remotely connected to you felt to him like a waste of time and it put him on the edge. He finally admitted to himself that he was getting really nervous about your trip because the nagging thought that you weren’t coming back was bashing his head long enough for him to notice it. Edge didn’t want you to go but he couldn’t actually tell you that, and mere thinking about _making_ you stay made him only more angry at himself. He wasn’t going to be this selfish and greedy, he was fucking better than that.

That didn’t change the fact that he was fairly anxious on the day of the last rehearsal. This time, his brother was going to be at work on the evening shift again, so there was a chance for Edge to maybe walk you home and squeeze those fifteen minutes more of your presence out of the little time he still had. That was his plan at least.

He tapped his fingertips on the armrest of the couch he was currently occupying as he idly stared at the TV and listened to the sounds that were coming out of the kitchen. There were still two hours left until the rehearsal but the tall skeleton couldn’t find anything productive to do except just waiting. He didn’t pay attention to what was going on the screen and didn’t even flinch when a pan fell on the floor during his brother’s brave attempts to make something edible before work.

There might be a chance that helping out the skeletons with preparing a meal would take his mind off the time that was slipping through his fingers but Sans was insistent on trying to cook all by himself lately. Papyrus was there only to ensure this time the food won’t explode or… run away. So, being left to his own devices, Edge was just idly sitting and doing nothing. And he _hated_ doing nothing.

How the fuck did that lazybones skeleton manage to do that?

As if his thoughts had traveled through time and space and manifested themselves in the form of the bag of bones, his brother’s counterpart appeared on the far end of the couch and with a tad startled flinch turned to Edge.

“uh... “, he began but instead of saying anything, he just lazily slid down onto his feet and started heading towards the stairs.

There was a noticeable urgency in his moves hidden under the ever-lazy demeanor. Edge was about to say something to him, to end this stupid game of avoiding and disappearing every time he entered the room but a loud buzz of the doorbell thwarted this attempt. He decided he wasn’t going to bother this time either.

“I’M COMING!”, Papyrus quickly called from the kitchen and immediately rushed towards the front door. “I CERTAINLY HOPE THIS IS MY PACKAGE, I’M GETTING A LITTLE IMPATIENT WITH THOSE DELIVERY SERVICES LATELY.”

With a tired huff, the scarred skeleton allowed his head to drop back on the backrest behind him and he stared at the ceiling. Before he managed to doze off again into his thoughts, his counterpart’s voice rang from the hallway.

“... EDGE? COULD YOU COME HERE FOR A MOMENT?”, there was something alarming in Papyrus’ voice that made him react almost without delay.

Frowning all the way to the door, Edge passed his tall brother in the hallway and looked down at a clearly nervous human standing on their doorstep. The courier had a writing pad in his clenched hand and was wearing a dark-blue jacket with Monsters-Humans Affairs Department emblem the skeleton house was very familiar with.

“Erm… mister Edge… right?”, the human croaked and started shuffling through papers on the pad. It was a new guy. It was always a new guy. No human courier came to their doorstep twice for some unfathomable reason. “I… I have a delivery for you... if you could… please… leave a signature confirming you’ve received that personally…?”

Edge almost automatically signed on the list provided by the nervous human and felt how his scarred hand grasps a thick envelope with the same emblem imprinted on the paper. The human babbled some customary pleasantries and turned around to hastily leave them.

It took him a while to realize his counterpart was saying something to him until he finally snapped out of the stupor.

“EDGE? EDGE?”, Papyrus repeated for stars know which time as he gently touched the other skeleton’s shoulder. “MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU CAME INSIDE AND… READ IT?”

The scarred skeleton shook his head and tightened his grip on the envelope. The sound of the paper crumpling in his hand sobered him up enough to finally close the door and head to the living room with his tall brother in tow. He could almost feel the nervousness radiating from Papyrus and that wasn't helping. His own soul was painfully still from anxiety.

“what’s goin’ on…?”, Sans voice came from the upper floor but Edge’s attention was on the letter he had in his grasp.

He was surprised to see that his own hands moved calmly and ripped the edge of the envelope open in a methodical and slow motion. Almost as if they didn’t belong to him, they gently pulled out the paper that was inside and straightened it. He didn’t have his glasses on, so he needed to bring the letter closer to his face to be able to read the small font used in the writing.

No.

His eyes slid frantically through the very cold and formal sentences, barely registering their meaning as his mind already knew what was going on. He breathed nervously when he read some words that were able to reach him through the haze that clouded his mind.

No. _No no no no._ **NO**.

“GIVE ME THAT.”, Papyrus’ voice sounded distant to him despite the fact that he was standing right beside him. With a quick gesture, the other skeleton plucked the paper out of his hands without ripping it in half in the process and started reading under his breath.

“... ACCUSED OF GRAVE MISUSE OF MAGIC AGAINST A HUMAN BEING…”, the Ambassador was reading some lines out loud and their meaning was bouncing off of Edge’s mind as he refused to accept them. “... considered a _dangerous_ monster individual …”

The very sudden change in Papyrus’ voice attracted other skeletons and he absent-mindedly heard their shuffling steps getting closer. “... detained? Detained until the date of the trial… have 24 hours to turn yourself in… the status will be changed from prosecuted to fugitive and the human law enforcement will be forced to arrest… is this a _fucking_ joke?”

Edge turned slowly to look at a person that was currently grabbing him by the wrist only to meet tiny red pinpricks of his brother’s eye lights. The much smaller but sturdier hands squeezed him once again, slowly helping him shake off the initial shock of the news he just received.

“I’m going to the Embassy to find out who pulled this shit…”, Papyrus took the envelope out of his counterpart’s hand that was currently hanging lifelessly next to his side. “Sans, stay with Edge.”

“ **Sure thi-** ”, his brother was quick to agree.

“No. Not _you_ , Red. _Sans_.”, he pointed over Edge’s head, probably at the other skeleton that was standing on the stairs.

“ **Bu- What? Why? Are ya serious?!** ”, the small skeleton next to him raised his tone significantly. “ **No way! ‘m stayin’ with him!** ”

“No, Red.”, Papyrus’ voice was still stone cold as his head snapped towards him. “You’re going to _work_ , just like you planned.”

“ ** _Like hell I am!_** ”, the skeleton with a golden tooth snapped aggressively and with a short step put himself between the Ambassador and Edge in a protective manner.

The tall skeleton stopped right in front of him, looming over the much smaller monster with his sheer height and cold presence. They stared down at each other for a second or two until Papyrus huffed loudly and squeezed the bridge of his nasal bone.

“RED… I KNOW YOU WANT TO STAY AND COMFORT YOUR BROTHER BUT…”, he said in a much gentler tone and looked at the small skeleton with a saddened frown. “PLEASE _TRUST_ ME ON THIS. I NEED YOU ALL DO EXACTLY AS I SAY.”

Sans didn’t even budge though he lost some of the aggression in his pose. His hand was still squeezing his brother’s wrist as if ready to teleport away if need be. Edge could feel the augur of the smaller skeleton’s magic already tingling his bones.

Edge’s counterpart let out a sigh. “I WILL _NOT_ ALLOW THEM TO BLATANTLY COME TO _OUR_ HOUSE AND TAKE _OUR_ BROTHER, RED. I PROMISE. BUT YOU HAVE TO TRUST ME WITH THIS.”

Sans finally moved a little as his shoulders slumped. “ ** _Fine._** ”, he barked. “ **Have it yer way… But I don’t fuckin’ like it.** ”

“I DON’T THINK _ANY_ OF US IS HAPPY WITH HOW THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION HAS DEVELOPED, BROTHER.”, Papyrus took a deep breath again and walked around the smaller angry skeleton to reach Edge.

The tight squeeze on his shoulder was all that he needed to lift his gaze from Sans’ back and to look into his counterpart’s eye lights. The overwhelming hum of emptiness in his mind was starting to finally disappear and he had only little trouble with focusing on those two white dots.

“EDGE. PLEASE STAY AT HOME UNTIL I COME BACK.”, Papyrus spoke in a reassuring tone and tapped his forehead on the scarred skeleton’s skull in an affectionate gesture. “I WILL DO WHAT I CAN TO FIX THIS.”

Edge nodded at this and quickly looked away. With no letter to squeeze, he didn’t have anything to do with his hands so he just crossed them tightly on his chest, removing his wrist from the tight grasp in the process. All his senses were coming back to him after the initial shock and the gravity of the situation started pressing on his neck and shoulders.

“ **Imma go to work _now_ , bro. If I come early, they’ll let me go home early, yeah?**”, Sans said half-heartedly and gave Edge a timid pat on the elbow. “ **I’ll be back in a... shit. The dinner.** ”

With those words the small skeleton rushed to the kitchen, leaving his brother in the living room alone. _Almost_ alone. Edge could feel the silent presence of his ‘warden’ behind his back. The lazybones didn’t move an inch since the scarred skeleton regained his bearings, the stairs didn’t even creak under him like they usually do.

After taking a few deep breaths the taller skeleton scoffed loudly and started patting down his pockets in search of his phone. The more rational and responsible part of him decided to emerge and he gladly let the inner Captain take over. First things first. He could start being anxious and scared later. Yes.

“... ‘s on the table…”, the silent voice spoke after a while. It was unnerving to hear Sans speak from over his head but he tried to ignore this feeling for now.

Edge, not even looking at the stairs, swiftly maneuvered between the couch and the armchair on his way to the coffee table to pick up his phone. As the small screen lit up, he hesitated for a few seconds… and started typing.

 **Edge Lord:** I can’t come to the rehearsal today.

He typed, carefully picking every word. He had to let the humans know about his absence. That’s what the responsible people do. He got your answer before he decided who to contact next.

 **The Human:** Awwwwww… noooo. And here I hoped you could try dancing with Ed this time. What’s up?

 **Edge Lord:** Monster business.

 **The Human:** Oh. Ok. Take care!

You rarely asked about monster stuff unless he clearly said you could. He picked those two words on purpose. This way you wouldn’t ask about what was going on, and that’s was all he needed from you right now. He knew this vague as fuck answer wasn’t a lie but at the same time, he already felt a heavy guilt settling in him, right next to the clawed fist that clenched so tightly around his soul he barely felt his magic in his bones. His hands, however, were still calm as he chose a number from his very scarce contact list.

“ **Kay. ‘m goin’, bro. Be back before ya know it** **.** ”, his brother peeked out of the kitchen doorway and gave a small wave to the tall skeleton. A second later he disappeared into the thin air.

The scarred skeleton hesitated but he ultimately hit the button to start the call. Not looking at the lazybones that was guarding him like a dog, Edge began climbing the stairs with the phone already by his skull. After a few dull signals, the human on the other end of the call picked up.

“ _... Edge?_ ”, Damien sounded surprised.

“ **Listen…** ”, Edge’s voice croaked and he had to clear his proverbial throat before continuing. For a second there, he felt grateful he didn’t try calling you in the first place and settled for the texts.  “ **... I won’t be attending rehearsals anytime soon.** ”

Something shuffled on the other end and the bassist’s voice got much louder and clearer. “ _Is everything fine?_ ”

The skeleton’s mind went blank for a while but he collected himself quickly. He passed the small skeleton in the middle of the stairs and continued.

“ **They’re putting me on the trial… for that soul thing.** ”, Edge explained, surprising himself with that honesty.

“ _... shit._ ”, the human breathed after the meaning of those words sank in.

It was so fucking weird to say that to Damien and not you. _You_ were his friend after all, _you_ were the closest to him, he wanted _you_ to know everything. But at the same time… wasn’t the bassist the only human now that he could freely talk to about that? He already knew what had happened when those punks attacked him and Toby. He was aware of the fact that using this kind of magic wasn’t only illegal but also strictly forbidden. Still, this wasn’t something Edge felt happy about.

“ **It would be better if I… don’t contact Toby from now on. In any way.** ”, the skeleton spoke calmly, as the cold and responsible part of him was still in charge. He needed to put everything in order before he allows himself to be ‘locked up’ in his own house. “ **So give him a heads up about that. He might need it if they’ll call him to be the… the victim.** ”, his voice broke a little at the end of that sentence.

“ _Yeah, sure._ ”, the human quickly responded. “ _I’ll tell him._ ”

Edge took a deep breath and stopped at the top of the stairs. “ **And… Damien?** ”

“ _Yeah?_ ”, the bassist’s voice rang strangely.

The skeleton felt how his hand clenches a little on the device pressed to the side of his skull. “ **Keep this between us.** ”, he scowled.

Damien let out a deep sigh and his tone changed into one much more light-hearted. “ _Or you’ll kill me?_ ”, he joked.

He really hoped that this time the human would refrain from using this phrase against him. It was a running joke between all of them now but… not today. Not fucking today.

When the skeleton didn’t answer in any way for a moment, Damien spoke up hastily. “ _Sorry, man. That was awful… I won’t tell anybody else. Pro-..._ ”

Edge hung up. And threw the phone on the ground with an angry growl.

The small device shattered into small pieces the moment it hit the floor. The plastic parts flew in every direction, some of them pattered on the stairs behind him and even on the floor below him.

Edge felt how the presence behind him moved before any sound reached his senses that were heightened by the magic slowly building up in his soul. Every creak of the stairs, every tiny rustle of the clothes, every barely audible shuffle of the pink slippers were like a sharp pin striking his skull.

“uh … listen, pal… i kno-”, Sans began in a wary tone but Edge was having none of that shit this time.

As if a dam broke, all his anger and frustration poured out in one wave that filled his bones with hot fury and made the air buzz around him from magic.

“ ** _STAY AWAY FROM ME!_** ”, Edge roared at the smaller skeleton and immediately stormed towards his room.

The door slammed behind him shut, making the walls and furniture in the room shake from the sheer force of that one angry gesture. With an angry huff, he banged his hands on his desk and leaned heavily over the desktop. His anger was swirling in his soul frantically and begged for a release but he tried to stop that from happening. This was what brought all the trouble to him. His behavior, _his fucking temper_.

After a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes and saw two lists lying right in front of his nasal bone. Yours and his. A whole reason you were in this country, that you even met him, was that stupid list. The only reason he has his _own_ list was that you had yours. _Yours. You. **His human friend**._

He did all he could to focus on you, to use you as an anchor, but that _wasn’t_ helping. Not this time.

He didn’t know what were they going to do to him. Would they _lock him up_? Or was there a _worse_ punishment for monsters breaking the forbidden and sacred law? Whatever it was, those lists didn’t matter now. You wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. He wouldn’t be able to help you with your Bucket List. He wouldn’t be able to see you smile, hear you laugh. His list was a _piece of garbage_ too now. _When_ was he going to muster the strength to say this one important sentence to Sans? Should he even _try_ now? Wouldn’t that _hurt_ his brother more? Wouldn’t it be better if he disappeared from his life as a broken and forsaken person, not one that had hope for being better?

With an angry growl, he threw all the objects from his desk to the floor, including both lists. His computer was next and it smashed on the floor and covered the carpet with pieces of glass and circuits. He overturned the desk as his anger raged on.

 _Why_ was this happening to him? He didn’t do anything wrong… not then. He _saved_ a human. He _saved_ Toby! He tried so hard to be better, safer, _normal_! Everything he did to fit into this fucked up world was for nothing! He almost had his _place_ on the Surface, he almost was worth something in his own eyes. As a musician. As a friend. _As a fucking person!_ But now it didn’t matter at all. It was going to be ripped from him and he couldn’t do shit to fix it this time.

The chest of drawers was his rage’s next target as he ripped every drawer and threw the rest of the piece of furniture against the door, blocking them at the same time. The splintered wood punched a few holes in the wallpaper right next to the doorframe and clothes scattered on the ground in a flurry of dark colors.

He _hated_ being so helpless. He couldn’t do anything now that would help. He couldn’t defend himself. He couldn’t even leave the house. He was at mercy of some fucked up human pricks that finally found a way to nail him and make him pay for everything he had done. He was at mercy of other people. He couldn’t fight because that would mean they were right. He couldn’t run because that would mean he was guilty. _But he was!_

The frustration built up inside him so much he just grabbed his head tightly, pressing his sharp phalanges into the scarred bone of his skull and yelled into the air. His magic erupted from him in the form of magic bones that flew in every direction and struck the walls, the wardrobe, the bed, the ceiling, everything in its wake.

A high pitched mewl somewhere from his shredded wardrobe made his soul froze and fill with ice-cold dread.

“ **No… no no no…** ”, he almost whimpered when the fact that his cat was in the room during that outburst hit him like a hammer to the head. “ **No, stars… no, _please no_ …**”

In one leap he was right next to his shattered furniture and tried to see if there was somewhere a white fur stuck between the splintered wooden chunks. He fell to his knees and started hastily throwing the broken fragments away.

“ **Doomy? Doomy, where are you?** ”, he pleaded as he searched for any indication his fragile pet was stuck somewhere there. “ **Please be okay… please…** ”

He strained his ears but couldn’t hear anything that resembled the familiar squeal that allowed him to obtain this little companion in the first place. His moves became more frantic as a very morbid thought tried to enter his mind but he wouldn’t let that happen until he sees that with his own…

A scared hiss from the furthest corners under the wardrobe’s bottom was everything he needed to almost collapse from relief. With a shaking hand, he reached under the broken piece of furniture and felt a familiar scratch of tiny sharp claws on his bones.

“ **Come here… you little… come…** ”, he mumbled as he tried to grab the terrified but feisty creature and check whether she wasn’t injured.

Finally, he fished the squirming and hissing animal from her hiding place and did a quick check. Doomfanger didn’t seem injured at all, just scared and pissed at the same time. As if all the energy that was keeping him from falling apart disappeared, Edge pressed the creature to his chest and leaned heavily on the wall. He felt how the cat tried to fight her way from his hands but he didn’t let her go.

His breathing started slowing down after a long while as the whole strain his magic and emotions finally began to take its toll on the skeleton. Edge laid on the floor, with fragments of his belongings poking his body as he ignored it. He felt spent and empty. And so helpless…

He tried stroking the animal in his arms but ultimately stopped. She kept attacking his hand with the clawed front paw every time he attempted that. “ **I know… I know…** ”, he whispered to the cat that was still mewling angrily at him. “ **I’m sorry…** ”

This was all his fault and he knew that.

He hugged Doomfanger closer to his chest, hoping the hum of his soul will soothe the frantic animal.

He was at fault here. If he wasn’t so aggressive before, it would be easier on everybody. It was always that way… and he was too stupid to see that his dumb luck would finally run out and bite him in the coccyx as hard as he deserved. Now it was a problem for everybody he cared about.

Edge felt how Doomfanger pawed his face a few times but she started calming down too. He curled up tighter, like he used to do when he was still able to fit into the cupboard under the sink, and wished he could disappear. Just for a moment.

Somehow, someway, someone placed a thick blanket around him when he was already asleep in the corner of his trashed room, a cat trapped in his desperate hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I forgot about the forbidden soul thing, did you now?
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord. There's also fanart tag where you can easily browse all magnificent things you did for me and my skellies. Please feel free to show those people some love!


	28. Risk of Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red makes a promise and you spend your last evening in Ebott with Edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much longer and calmer chapter filled with feely fluff and angsty fluff. And also shameless fluff.
> 
> All of the beans deserve some, right?
> 
> Have a nice read!

As Edge’s mind slowly emerged from sleep, he noticed that the house was still quiet. He wasn’t sure how long his slumber lasted but the weariness in his bones told him that it was not long enough. Not really eager to face the reality just yet, he remained motionless, with his eye sockets closed for the time being. He focused on his soul and its low and tired hum instead. There was still hopeless anger burning deep inside of him but he mostly felt… spent.

When the skeleton finally decided to move, the first thing he felt was a thick wooden splinter wedged between his ribs. With a low huff, Edge placed his left hand on the messy floor and pushed himself slowly up, hoping the irritating feeling would go away if the splinter falls out by itself. It worked but the blanket covering his body slid down before he managed to catch it.

He looked at the blanket with a surprise for a moment, squeezing the soft and thick material in his hand. Did that mean his brother came back already? If that was the case, he should talk to him as soon as possible.

Edge let go of the blanket and was already trying to push himself off the wall behind him to stand up but the sight in front of him made him stop. As he finally looked around the room, a wave of shame hit him and flooded his somewhat calm soul with a heavy feeling of self-disgust.

The room… was destroyed. By _him_.

Only by the sheer luck, he had missed a narrow window, as it wasn’t broken. The rest of the room though, it was worse than thrashed. Most of the furniture was broken into so many pieces Edge couldn’t tell which splinters were once a desk or a dresser. The oval holes in the walls reminded him of the magic outburst that was able to puncture the concrete. The clothes, computer parts, loose papers, and feathers from the sheets and mattress were littering the floor. The carpet was barely visible underneath all of this.

It was all _his_ doing. All _his_ belongings, _everything_ that he’d earned or received from the other skeletons was ruined. He sat, frozen, as his eye lights were scanning the remnants of what he gathered throughout the two years he had spent on the Surface. When his gaze fell on the ripped mattress on the bed, his soul stopped for a second.

Doomfanger was sleeping on her pillow, right next to him.

As quietly as he could, he freed himself from the blanket and inched closer to the sleeping creature. His worried frown deepened as Edge looked at the white fur in search of any signs of injuries but it seemed that the animal was lucky. That he was lucky too, as he didn’t manage to actually hurt his pet in any way. He still wasn’t done thanking the fucking stars for that.

He reached slowly to touch the cat but stopped halfway through that gesture. She looked so calm and comfortable on the pillow. Her small eyes were closed trustingly, her single front paw was bent in that one way that always made him want to touch it, and the tail was curled around the hind legs like a little fluffy snake. Instead of disturbing her, Edge placed his forearm on the mattress and put his chin on his hand, staring at the animal’s little muzzle, almost hypnotized by that sight.

For a moment he actually wished he could just stay like that, allowing the world to do its thing without him for the next few days. Just watching Doomfanger sleep safely and soundly next to him, being isolated from whatever was going on, ignoring any issue that awaited for him behind the door. Despite the fact that his room looked as if a tornado hit it with all its might, it seemed so peaceful. So serene.

Finally, he couldn’t stop himself further from reaching towards the white creature and he gently stroke her paw with the tip of his finger. Doomfanger moved slightly and one of her ears perked up right before a pair of blue eyes opened up to look at him.

“ **... hey there.** ”, Edge murmured and gently pet the cat under the chin. “ **You’re hogging my pillow again, you little fucker...** ”

The cat, not understanding a word he just said, let out a squeaky whine and began her morning stretching routine. Edge smiled for a short second as he observed her but after a few moments passed he decided to leave the animal alone for now. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and looked around the floor. He needed to pick a place to start cleaning the room… but it seemed like any spot would be equally good to do that.

The light coming from the window - Edge was still amazed it was whole and not shattered to pieces like the rest of his furniture - suggested it was a late evening or a very early morning. It wasn’t that dark but it would be certainly easier to pick up his destroyed shit with some light on. However, the lamp that usually hung over his head was now in his hands, ripped from the ceiling by a magic attack, and the light bulb was broken.

It took him a while to scavenge a desk lamp from under one of the drawers but it illuminated the room enough for him to start the actual cleaning. His moves were sluggish as he was still feeling the drain of his magic temper tantrum but it wasn’t that bad. Nothing that a meal and a calmer day wouldn’t fix.

He worked slowly and meticulously, picking up even the smallest pieces of his broken belongings from the floor in an attempt to erase this _senseless_ fuck-up both from his memory and from the real world. He hadn’t managed to clean even a fraction of the mess he’d made when he heard a soft knock on the door.

“ **Hey, bro? I’m back… lemme in.** ”, Sans’ voice was low as if he didn’t want to wake up his younger brother in case he was sleeping.

Edge stared at the door for a moment, his tired mind slowly processing whether he even wanted to let him see the mess he made. A few seconds passed and he shook his head to chase away the urge to avoid everybody forever.

“ **One moment…** ”, he answered, his voice hoarse, and made his way towards the door.

Freeing the door from the splintered fragments of the chest of drawers he tossed against this wall those few hours ago wasn’t a quick and easy fit. The wooden spikes screeched on the door’s surface as he had to forcefully remove the dresser out of the way and right after that he was finally able to grab the handle.

Unsurprisingly, the first one to go through the open door was Doomfanger, who let out a whiny squeak on her way out. The smaller skeleton that was standing in the corridor moved from her way, a little startled by a white furball escaping his brother’s room. Edge pushed the door harder to make more space for an actual person to go through and blocked it with his bare foot. He took in the sight that his brother currently represented - tired, disheveled, still in his work clothes, boots included. He must have come back home a moment ago and went straight to his room.

“ **...uh…** ”, the smaller skeleton muttered as he leaned to the side and stared at the state the room was in. His attention turned back to Edge as he cast him a wry smile. “ ** _That_ bad, huh?**”

The other skeleton didn’t say a word and just moved out of his way, indicating Sans was welcome to come in. He hesitated a little but entered his brother’s room. The door behind him closed with a soft click when Edge let go of the handle and went back to picking up the clothes that were scattered on the floor.

Most of his shirts and pants seemed to be undamaged, so he just focused on putting them on the bed for later. He needed more space to sort and fold them the way he liked to anyway, and there was currently no furniture to hold them. It was a problem for later, though.

Edge heard how his trashed belongings scrunched under his brother’s boots as the smaller skeleton shuffled deeper into the room. He still remained silent, busy shaking off the glass and broken plastic from his favorite shirt.

“ **I can get some time off for the next few days, ya know?** ”, Sans said, his voice low.

“ **There’s no…** ”, the taller skeleton began by reflex but stopped himself before the whole overused sentence got out. He grimaced slightly at himself and put the pair of socks on the small pile of clothes on the mattress. Even tired and hopeless, he apparently wasn’t able to have a decent conversation with his own worried brother. “ **Do as you wish.** ”, he finished with a sigh.

The fact that his predicament affected the whole household, including Sans, made his shoulders feel heavier. _Of course_ , he would be worried. He had been angry when Edge received the letter, after all, ready to fight or run with him if the situation forced him to do so. The whole situation got even more complicated in his head and he wasn’t pleased to welcome those tangled feelings back into his soul. He honestly preferred being tired and numb.

The smaller skeleton was silent for a second. “ **Yeah. I think I will.** ”, he finally spoke with a hint of defiance.

Shortly after, there was a crack of something of glass giving in under a heavy boot followed by a soft pattering of small broken pieces falling to the ground. A moment later a black shirt landed on the clothes pile on the bed right next to where Edge was standing. The taller skeleton turned around and saw a bent back of his brother, who was already picking some of the clothes from the floor again.

A pang of guilt hit Edge’s soul at that sight. This was _his_ mess to clean, yet here his brother was - tired after work and still doing things for him. He was about to chase Sans away and tell him to rest and leave this shit to him but… he didn’t. If Sans wanted to help him clean this mess, he shouldn’t be the one to stop him.

The rustle of the smaller skeleton’s work clothes accompanied him through the tedious work of scavenging for those pieces of clothing that managed to avoid his frantic flurry of magic attack. He didn’t have so many clothes to begin with, but the mess he made with their use was unbelievably big. Edge remained on his knees next to the remnant of his desk to gather the scattered socks into one neat pile before picking it up. Only when he was done, he noticed it got very quiet. When he looked over his shoulder with an armful full of socks, he saw Sans sitting on the edge of his ruined mattress with a broken piece of the computer in his bony hands.

As if his soul couldn’t get any heavier at this moment, it dropped even lower. He remembered that Sans gave him this computer at the very beginning of their freedom on the Surface. Edge wasn’t that eager to accept it but ultimately relented and used it frequently ever since. And now… it was shattered to pieces and completely useless. It looked even worse in Sans’ slightly trembling hands. The smaller skeleton’s eyes were staring at the destroyed device with tiredness matching the one Edge felt in his bones.

They were both exhausted, so it seems.

Slowly, the taller skeleton placed the socks on the pile next to the saved clothes and sat on the mattress close to his brother. The bed creaked under his weight and sank a little but he paid it no mind, his entire focus on Sans’ face. He recognized this expression and his first instinct was to sit right next to the smaller skeleton and hold his hand.

He didn’t do the latter, of course, but the urge to do that was huge when he understood that the whole situation rattled Sans as much as it did him. With the anger gone, all the fear and desperation was pretty much clear to Edge when he looked at his brother’s face.

The taller skeleton sat without a word for a while, waiting for Sans to do something, _say something_. But nothing happened.

“ **Papyrus got this. Like always.** ”, Edge broke the silence and that seemed to shake his brother out of the anxious daze he was in. His words sounded reassuring but he doubted they made Sans feel much better. He didn’t believe in them as much as he wished he did too.

“ **Yeah…** ”, Sans smirked a little, though it looked half-hearted. “ **I don’t envy those guys now… have ya looked at him? I’ve never seen him so fuckin’ _livid_ …**”

Edge nodded at this, noticing how tense and weak his brother’s voice was. Despite that, this time he didn’t feel out of place, just sitting shoulder to shoulder with Sans, in a silent companionship that used to calm the older skeleton down those years ago. Seems like deep down, they were still the same skeletons as before. Alone in the Underground, only with each other as a family and support in dire times. As if nothing had changed… though everything was different.

This time Sans was the first one to say something as the silence stretching between them got too tense. “ **Guess we have to wait and find out…** ”

“ **Seems like it.** ”, Edge nodded again.

His thoughts started reeling into a much darker place. He trusted Papyrus, of course. He trusted him with his own life. But he had learned the harsh truth of the world in his childhood - nobody was invincible. Be it a physical battle or a metaphorical one, some fights could be fought valiantly and still lost. A tiny voice in the back of his mind kept tossing ‘ _what ifs_ ’ at him until he finally spoke up again.

“ **Sans…** ”, his voice sounded a lot weaker than he hoped it would.

The smaller skeleton interrupted him while quickly shaking his head and finally looking him in the eye lights. “ **Nu-uh. I _know_ that tone.**”

If the situation was less serious, Edge would have scoffed at him at that moment.

“ **We always did this before. We should-** ”, the taller skeleton pressed on but was interrupted again.

“ **Ya said so yerself. We need to get out… and that means no more plan B shit too, right?** ”, Sans tossed the computer remains on the pile of junk in the middle of the floor and by reflex wiped his hands against his work clothes. He turned to the other skeleton again, a hopeful expression on his tired face. “ **Everything will be fine, right?** ”

Edge opened up his jaw to say something that supported this hope, but nothing came to his mind. He let out a defeated sigh and turned his gaze away.

“ **Brother…** ”, he muttered and got interrupted for the third time.

“ **Fuckin’ _un_ believable…**”, with a sharp scoff, Sans kicked the closest piece of wood that had the bad luck to lie next to his work shoe.

Tug-of-war with his older brother was never a good idea, especially when it came to his own safety. Knowing how stubborn Sans could sometimes get, Edge remained silent after this. He forcefully pushed away the thoughts about the scar on his sternum and just waited.

“ **Alright. _What_?** ”, the smaller skeleton barked impatiently after a minute or two.

Taking a deep breath, Edge turned to him once again. “ **I just wanted to make sure you won’t try to fix this yourself.** ”, he spoke softly, finally voicing his biggest worry concerning the whole thing with the trial.

Sans rolled his eye lights. “ **There’s nothin’ to _fix_ , ya dumbass. Ya didn’t do _nothin_ ’ wrong.**”

“ **That is true.** ”, Edge agreed before continuing in a much more confident tone. “ **But don’t pretend you didn’t think about it.** ”

A low grumble was all the answer he needed. “ **I did.** ”, the smaller skeleton added anyway.

Edge let out a deep sigh and squeezed his nasal bone with his phalanges. Of course, he did. It would be unthinkable for Sans not to have at least thought about various escape routes or possible solutions when a problem appeared. Especially if the issue concerned Edge’s safety and freedom.

“ **Shut up.** ”, Sans barked at him before the other skeleton could actually say anything and crossed his arms against his chest. “ **I know I can’t do shit. It’s fuckin’ annoyin’.** ”

Well, at least he was aware of that simple and debilitating fact. Searching for those humans was _useless_ \- if the human law enforcement didn’t find them yet, dragging them to the police station personally wouldn’t do any good in this case. Trying to threaten them to turn themselves in was similarly dumb and not worth trying. Running away was also out of the question… the last thing Papyrus needed was a _fugitive_ brother that tries to evade justice for the worst crime a monster could commit against a human.

 _Stupid_ humans and their _stupid_ fears and _stupid_ religions. If not for this _one law_ , everything would be just fine, everybody would be alive, in one piece and happy. But _no_.

“ **Yes. It’s infuriating.** ”, the taller skeleton concurred with a weak, bitter smile.

They both sat in silence for another minute or so. Edge, mulling over his hopeless situation, was staring at his scarred hands and noticed a piece of glass stuck between his joints. He considered doing something about that but he just couldn’t force himself to move at this moment.

“ **What if…** ”, Sans’ voice was but a murmur. “ **... what if he _won’t_ be able to have his usual way this time…? There’s a limit for everybody, even a fuckin’ Monster Ambassador. What if-** ”

Edge moved and nudged his brother with his pointy elbow. “ **What happened to ‘no more plan B shit’?** ”

It was hypocritical to steer his own brother from those ideas when he himself was still trying to figure out if there could be a possible way out if whatever Papyrus was planning failed. He knew that. But at the same time, he didn’t care - he needed Sans to be the calm and responsible one. It was obvious as hell that Edge wasn’t like that if the state of his room was any indication.

“ ** _Hey!_** ”, Sans objected and covered his ribs in the place that the taller skeleton managed to elbow him. “ **I’m just havin’ a dark thoughts moment, ‘m not plannin’ on overturnin’ a fuckin’ human government.** ”

This comment somehow made Edge smirk a little. “ **Wouldn’t that be a little too much?** ”, he said, not even trying to suppress the hint of mirth in his voice.

“ **Eh… maybe.** ”, the smaller skeleton chuckled half-heartedly but he seemed to have also found a little humor in this part of their conversation.

This kind of banter was stupid but also slightly familiar. They rarely did this… even back then… but it still brought a semblance of comfort. The world might be against them but they were in it together.

Sans turned his head to look straight at the taller skeleton. “ **But I would _totally_ do that for ya.** ”

“ **I know.** ”, Edge responded, his smile faltering a little.

He felt how a smaller hand carefully touched his own, checking whether the physical contact was fine or not. As the taller skeleton did nothing to indicate this sort of touchy-feely shit wasn’t welcome, the hand wrapped around the longer phalanges and squeezed them a little.

“ **I love ya, bro.** ”, Sans murmured, his voice heartfelt.

Edge’s gaze quickly slid from his brother’s face and to the hand that was holding him in a comforting manner. Unable to look Sans in the eye, he just muttered. “ **... I know.** ”

He felt his gaze on him, expectant and almost burning. Before Edge managed to think of something to say, to mask his ongoing inability to say three stupid words even in this situation, his brother spoke again.

“ **We could… I mean…** ”, he said distantly.

When it seemed like the ‘no plan B’ policy was going to be trashed faster than it appeared, Edge shook his head and finally managed to return the soft grip on his hand.

“ **I’m not running.** ” He took a deep breath before tearing his gaze from the tangled hands and forced himself to look at Sans. “ **And most definitely I am not letting you do something stupid.** ”

The smaller skeleton frowned at that declaration. “ **So what?** ”, he scoffed. “ **Ya wanna stick to that… martyr shtick? Or whatever this is?** ”

If that was his way to jab at Edge that he was giving up, it worked. He scowled at those words and shook his head in a slightly irritated manner.

“ ** _No._** ”, he said sternly and then added. “ ** _As long_ as Papyrus won’t have to deal with _two_ trials at once. He’s got enough on his plate already, adding more shit for him to take care of won’t help anybody.**”

Sans shrugged in response. “ **... mine would be shorter.** ”

“ ** _Sans._** ”, Edge snapped at him immediately.

“ **Okay, okay… chill.** ”, the smaller skeleton raised his hand in a placating gesture, still using his other hand to hold onto Edge. “ **I’m not doin’ anythin’ stupid to protect my precious lil bro.** ”, he rolled his eye lights.

“ **... promise me.** ”, the taller skeleton said quickly before he gave his thoughts a chance to steer him away from that idea.

Sans’ hand dropped on his knee the moment those two words rang in the air. His eye lights lit up with anger for a second as he tried to stare the younger skeleton down. There was an augury of incoming rage that made the air buzz around the smaller skeleton with furious magic but no berating or yelling came this time. His angrily furrowed brows slowly turned into deeply knit in worry the longer he looked in Edge’s eye sockets. The tingling feeling in the air subsided as Sans’ shoulders sagged.

“ **Tch… fine.** ”, he finally said as he turned his gaze away. “ **I promise. No stupid shit... Happy?** ”

Edge squeezed his smaller hand in response. “ **I’m exhilarated.** ”

This was the end of the touchy-feely physical contact they shared because as soon as the taller skeleton said those words, Sans snatched his hand away from his grip.

“ **... Ya and yer fuckin’ puppy eyes…** ”, he muttered angrily and stood up, still pointedly not looking at Edge.

He could have allowed him to just leave. Sans clearly was done with the topic, both regarding his brother’s safety and his own involvement in the issue. He was angry and bitter, and so exhausted that the best way to let the conversation end would be just to allow the smaller skeleton to rest. It seemed so stupid and selfish to Edge that a moment ago he was willing to ignore his birth brother for the sake of peace and quiet but now he craved his presence. However, the sole idea of being with his thoughts edged on terrifying and he honestly preferred to see Sans’ angry face than to face those alone now.

He pushed himself up from the creaking bed. “ **Is the effect strong enough to… to convince you to stay and... continue with this…?** ”, Edge asked, painfully aware how odd his request sounded.

Sans stopped mid-step towards the door and turned his head to look curiously at his younger brother. His red eye lights dropped for a moment to look at the big scarred hands that Edge was wringing nervously - a thing he only noticed just now. He stilled them and quickly hid them behind his back, trying to look a little more dignified than he actually felt. And he felt awfully small and weak.

“ **And here I thought ya have at least some decency not to use yer power for evil…** ”, the smaller skeleton groaned half-heartedly, a soft smile tugging at his toothy skeleton grin. “ **Alright… ya villain. But I get to pick my half.** “

As it turned out, Sans indeed was allowed to go home earlier and Edge’s post-tantrum nap lasted only a few hours, so it was still evening. They worked together in silence for the rest of it, trying to make the evidence of Edge’s tantrum disappear, but no matter the effort, the skeletons weren’t able to put the room into any presentable shape in this time.

At least the floor was now mostly trash-free and, after changing the sheets and putting a brick under the bed’s leg, it looked somewhat habitable. The holes in the walls and a pile of splintered wood in the corner were still clear indicators that something violent had happened though. Fixing everything would probably take some time… time he both had too much and too little on his hands.

As the light outside died entirely and the night crept closer, they both decided the work they did was enough for one emotionally and physically draining day. The desk lamp light was too scarce to continue the cleaning anyway, so the only reasonable decision was to go downstairs to finally try the dinner that Sans had burned right before he left for work.

Fortunately, for both of them, there was no sign of the smaller skeleton’s cooking attempt anywhere. They were simultaneously relieved and surprised to see that the kitchen was spotless and any remaining evidence of yet another baked abomination was gone even from the trash can. Having no other option at this hour, they settled for heating a frozen pizza in the oven and spent most of the waiting time just idly talking about some unimportant shit.

As they sat at the table and tiredly began to eat their meal, Edge’s soul finally seemed to somewhat settle. There was still the trial awaiting him, the feeling of impending doom still wrapped around him tightly but…

He looked up at his brother and smirked at the fact that there was some melted cheese stuck to his pointy teeth and chin. Sans was always a sloppy one and didn’t give a shit about things like that, even if Edge constantly nagged him about acting at least half civilized. Even now, he seemed not to care about that and happily munched on the pizza slice, grinning defiantly at him from the other side of the table, clearly daring him to say something.

Brotherly banter, late-night meal, his brother being his messy self around him … that was oddly comforting. That was what he could consider as normal.

That was what he wanted to have with him.

If Edge only had some more time with him. If only the humans would decide to let him go. If only the whole trial was just a big ass ruse to poke at the Ambassador’s work to see if there was something to stir…

Edge lowered his head and focused on his currently cold piece of reheated pizza. As he took another bite, he made himself a promise with the same resolve he knew his brother made promises. He _would_ spend more time with Sans. Just with him, just the two of them together, doing stupid, normal shit like this. If the universe decided he was worthy to be free, he would try to be a better brother and stop relying on other skeletons to do that for him.

“ **You eat like a savage…** ”, Edge growled at his brother and grabbed a dishrag only to throw it at the cheese covered face.

Sans laughed. 

* * *

  **The Human:** Hey, Edguardo. Is that monster business still going?

 **The Human:** I was planning to watch lame horror movies all evening with Tobson but he said he’s busy.

Edge was staring at the texts he received from you this morning, his mind empty and unable to find a proper answer.

The last few days were like that for him. His mind was wandering somewhere far, dark thoughts attacking him when he wasn’t occupying himself with anything, his need for his brother’s company bigger than _ever_. The time seemed to pass both too slowly and so terrifyingly fast he even wondered how long some activities actually took him.

It had been _three days_ since he received the letter from the Monsters-Humans Affairs Department. _Three full days_ since Papyrus left home in a hurry and didn’t come back. Whatever shit had been stirred up at his work, it kept him there for _over 72 hours straight_ and there was no sign of him coming home anytime soon. At least he was able to give them a short and informative call.

Apparently, thanks to his doings, Edge was no longer forced to turn himself in. Papyrus signed some paperwork and was now legally responsible for his brother’s attendance at the trial when the time comes. That declaration brought both relief and a different kind of heavy feeling in Edge’s soul. Papyrus was putting himself in line for him, _trusting him_ he would stay put and wait for the situation to unfold. He couldn’t afford to fuck that up and decided to remain at home at any cost.

To say he was high-strung because of all that was a fucking understatement of the year.

The phone buzzed in his hand again. There was no farting notification in the new device he had and he already missed the stupid and familiar sound. He knew it shouldn’t bother him that much, especially when he clearly abhorred the notification at the beginning… but that was something _normal_. And he needed as many normal stupid things around him as possible to stay _sane_.

 **The Human:** I know you wanted to check some zombie movies.

 **The Human:** You wanna come over?

He hesitated again but this time, instead of just staring idly at the text you sent him, he started typing. You were leaving tomorrow around noon. Your plane tickets were booked, your bags were packed, your time in Ebott this year was coming to an end. Edge wasn’t a particularly good company right now but… but there was a chance this was the last opportunity for him to just _see_ you.

 **Edge Lord:** It’s still going.

 **Edge Lord:** We can hang out at my place. I have to stay around just in case.

It was selfish of him, he knew that. Somehow the world granted him the last chance to spend time with you and his soul almost jumped at this idea, that _greedy_ idea of having just a few hours more with you before you disappear from his life. He wasn’t planning on telling you anything, he wasn’t going to ruin your trip with hopeless worry. No matter how much he wanted you to _stay_ in Ebott and just… be there for him when his life turns to shit… he couldn’t do that to you. And he couldn’t do that to _himself_. Knowing that you would be as concerned and nervous as the rest of the skeletons were was enough for him to keep the truth to himself. He couldn’t deal with that. He had _enough_.

 **The Human:** Aw, yiss! I’ll bring that caramel popcorn I was telling you about. I don’t have a microwave so we can try making it in yours.

 **Edge Lord:** Sounds fine by me.

The screen of the device turned off automatically and left Edge staring at his own scowling reflection. He was still debating whether to call this off or not. Before he changed his mind though, he put the new phone on the coffee table and clasped his hands tightly. He focused on staying calm and finding something else to think about than his not so bright future.

Fortunately, the device itself attracted his attention.

He still wasn’t entirely sure what to think of the lazybones’ behavior. The other Sans had always been cold and distant towards him, ever since he could remember - not that Edge gave him any reason to behave differently. He was also less expressive than his own brother so he wasn’t able to guess what could be happening in that thick crazy skull of his. Still, he thought he knew what to expect of that bag of bones but apparently, he was mistaken.

That fucking conversation they had not so long ago felt to him so out of character Edge still had doubts if it _really_ ever happened. It did seem like a weird dream when he thought about that for too long but then the letter arrived and it got _weirder_. There was _no one_ else at home to clean the kitchen at that time and _no one_ else could have gotten into his room to give him that blanket. And now…

Edge glared at the new phone he found two days ago on the coffee table (with all his contacts and texts meticulously transferred) as if it would give him the answers. _Nothing_. Just plain, new device replacing the one he shattered in his fit of fury.

The mere idea of trying to _talk_ to that Sans was off-putting for him. Not because he didn’t _want_ to have a conversation with his brother’s counterpart about his actions but because he was certain that trying to get any logical answers from _that_ particular skeleton would be like pulling teeth.

Besides, how would that conversation go? ‘ _Are you trying to be nice to me?_ ’ ‘ _Did you hit your head and confused me with your brother?_ ’

With a loud scoff, Edge rubbed his face with his bony hands and stood up. There was no point in dwelling on that. Perhaps the bag of bones just tried to make it easier for all of them - with Papyrus being too busy to even come home and change, there was _nobody_ to diffuse any fights that might happen because of the tension hanging in the air. Getting out of the way and making the life a little more bearable could be a smart move to keep the house in one piece during Papyrus’ absence.

Speaking of the house itself.

The tall skeleton grabbed the blanket that was lying idly next to him and began folding it. There was a very little chance you were going to come to his room, so he didn’t even bother thinking about doing anything in there… but despite all his time at home, some things could still use a little cleaning before you arrive. He had to make sure it looked at least within his _standards_.

When you knocked on the door a few hours later, he was ready. The living room looked spotless - though, to be honest, there were a few things that could be still done in there - and he managed to beat his own thoughts into submission so he wouldn’t ruin that last evening for you. It was going to be alright. A nice, normal time filled with your crazy presence.

“Oh wow… you look… uh…”, your beautiful smile got smaller the moment you saw him at the door.

“ **Like shit?** ”, Edge quirked his brow while providing you with proper words.

You entered the house and began taking off your shoes. “I was going more for ‘like death’ but sure. If you feel like that…”

“ **I doubt that one works in my case… and I’m _fine_.** ”, he grumbled and grabbed the bag filled with movies and popcorn packets you set on the ground.

With a scowl, he walked straight to the kitchen and occupied himself with filling the kettle with water. You entered the room a moment later and propped your elbow on the counter.

“Hi, fine. I’m _______.”, you joked and leaned a little to look him in the face.

It was harder than he thought - to pretend everything was alright while being around you. Your presence still brought him some joy and comfort but also reminded him that you _didn’t know_ why he looks and behaves… worse than usual.

Edge stuck to his asshole facade nonetheless. “ **You’re _almost_ funny. Get your ass here and take care of that stupid popcorn of yours, human. If you fry the microwave it’s on you.** ”

You obeyed and a moment later you started reading the instructions on the packets. As per usual, when he visited you or vice versa, he began preparing tea for both of you, leaving you to your own crazy devices with whatever you were trying to cook or order. He focused on grabbing the mugs, making sure he chose the one in your favorite color, and reached for the tea bags hidden on the higher shelf.

Behind him, he heard you open the popcorn packets and fiddle with the microwave. You were humming something under your breath as you did that and he felt a little fluttering in his soul. You liked doing that.

The annoying beeping sound followed by a low buzz of the device announced that you managed to fulfill your task.

“So… um…”, your voice rang from the other end of the kitchen. “... about that monster business…?”

Edge heard you shuffle closer to him and he looked over his shoulder. “ **Yes? What of it?** ”

It was hard not to notice the genuine worry in your eyes when you stopped right next to him. You were picking at the hem of your sweater but despite that sign of nervousness, you were still looking him in the eye lights.

“That’s… not health-related, I hope?”, you asked.

“ **No.** ”, he spoke gently, his scowl softened significantly while he shook his head. “ **My health is fine, ______. And everybody else’s is too.** ”

You let out a loud sigh and your expression visibly relaxed. “Sorry. I was just worried. You kinda disappeared out of the blue and now…”

The gesture you made pointed at him and he understood what you meant. He really didn’t look so well, physically matching the way his soul felt. With those dark circles under his eye sockets, his voice being more rough than usual, and not coming to the rehearsals? It could be interpreted as an illness from the outside, especially if one didn’t have a clue what was actually happening. And you _didn’t_.

“ **I can imagine.** ”, he muttered and turned away to grab the stack of the movies like he previously planned. “ **I know I didn’t give you any explanation…** ”

Despite not facing you, he could almost see you shake your head in a way that made your hair flip a little. “No no, it’s fine. It _really_ is. I know there are some things you can’t talk about around humans… I just…”

He looked at you again, keeping the cases in both his hands. His previous assurances most obviously didn’t work as you still seemed antsy. Or maybe it was something different?

“This will sound stupid but…”, you looked at your bare feet. “I sometimes forget we’re a different kind.”

That was _not_ something he thought he would hear that day. His hands dropped a little as he stared at you, his eye sockets a little wide and brow bones up.

You continued in that self-conscious tone of yours that he noticed you used while asking or talking about monsters. You were always so careful around those topics with him. “We… aren’t particularly different, you know? Or at least… that’s how I feel. After a while, you’re not a monster to me. You’re just… you.”

With those last words, you raised your head to look at him. Your gaze was so disarmingly honest, Edge wasn’t able to form a proper sentence to answer you so he just stared, dumbfounded.

Both of you flinched when the microwave beeped loudly, notifying that the first batch of popcorn was done. Your cheeks were a bit red when you cleared your throat and used the device’s ungodly sounds as an excuse to break the eye contact with him. Edge realized he must have been staring at you in a weird way and he looked away a moment later.

“Sorry…”, you muttered while trying not to burn yourself with a freshly made popcorn packet as you poured the snack into a bowl. “I got all touchy-feely because of that trip.”

Edge gripped the boxes in his hands a little tighter and lowered his gaze on them, his own thoughts reminding him about that inevitable fact. You’re going away _tomorrow_.

“I guess… I’m gonna miss you and your assholery aura.”, you walked over to him with a bowl in one of your hand and tried to poke him in the elbow in a playful manner.

You had a habit of doing that but this time, you missed. Because of the long sleeves of his jumper, your finger barely grazed the bone and you poked him right between his ribs. By instinct, his head snapped to look at your hand and he moved away a bit.

“Oops…”, you smiled at him apologetically and took a step back. “Well, that answers one question.”

Not quite getting what you were referring to, Edge placed one hand on his hip bone while quirking his brow. The movie cases were still in his hand, as he noticed, and he began to feel stupid just holding them all the time.

“That wasn’t on purpose!”, you defended yourself, though Edge still didn’t know why.

He squinted a little. “ **Oh really**?”

“Really… really _really_.”, you cowered while pressing your elbows to your sides. The bowl of popcorn you held was a little askew in your hand but it still didn’t seem like you were going to spill any on the floor.

And then he realized what was going on. He remembered how Cindy was prone to tickling everybody and could bring down a man double her size when she got her hands on Damien. He also remembered how quick you were to surrender when he threatened to do that to you during that paintball match a few weeks ago. Edge’s expression slowly turned into a knowing smirk. “ **I see.** ”

Your eyes got a little wider and you quickly exited the kitchen with the bowl in hands. “ _Nope!_ ”

“ **So… you humans _have_ a weakness after all.** ”, Edge said while following you in a slow pace, a very evil idea already fully formed in his head.

You placed the popcorn on the coffee table and grabbed a couch cushion to cover yourself, using it as a shield. “Nu-uh! We’re still the dominant race!”

Slowly, almost lazily, the tall skeleton put the movie cases on the other side of the table and looked back at you with a predatory smile on his face. “ **I beg to differ…** ”

When he moved, you managed only to let out a very undignified shriek before the skeleton reached you. Your attempt to push him away with the soft shield of yours would be admirable if it lasted longer than a second. As his pointy fingers found their way to your sides and poked at your ribs, you started laughing loudly and wiggling even more.

With little to no effort, Edge dragged your writhing form to the couch and tossed you at the part that still had cushions before pinning you there with one hand. He resumed torturing you immediately.

“ **Surrender, vile human!** ”, he challenged while trying to grab your wrists with one hand to immobilize you further.

“Nooooo!”, you screeched in between laughter and wheezing breaths. “Never!”

Despite his superior strength, he didn’t plan on using all of it on you. He could easily render you motionless but what would be the fun of that? It was quite amusing to see you fight for your breath and freedom with him.

He continued poking at your sides with relentless precision and his artificially evil laughter quickly turned into a genuine and light-hearted one. The sounds you made were just so silly and funny to him it was contagious. You were still trying to break free from his grasp and escape. Your attempts were somewhat fruitful because you managed to wriggle a little from under him and away from the couch. Edge had to hold you by your shoulder so you wouldn’t fall to the ground but that didn’t make him stop.

“I… I yield! _I yield_!”, you finally gasped, utterly breathless from laughter.

Edge ceased his attacks immediately. With a proud smirk on his face and laughter still bubbling in his chest, he took in the sight in front of him. Your face was red and you were utterly breathless but smiling. If…

“ **Un… _fuckin’_... believable…** ”, Sans’ voice rang in the air and that startled the tall skeleton.

Not quite thinking about his actions, Edge let go of you and took a step away from your body as you fell from the couch to the floor with a dull ‘oof’.

“I’m fine!”, you called right after that and waved your hand in the air, clearly trying to show that your words were true.

“ **...’m dreamin’ right? That’s just a weird ass dream…?** ”, muttered one of the small skeletons standing in the kitchen doorway.

“you and me both, pal.”, the other answered.

They were both dressed as if they were outside a second ago - jackets and shoes on, bags with groceries in hands. Edge’s brother was just staring at the tall skeleton with a quite shocked but also amused expression and the other Sans was still holding his phone up, almost as if he was recor-

“heh... this _so_ goes on the undernet…”, the lazybones hummed with a grin and tapped a few times on his small device.

Edge felt a hot wave of anger mixed with embarrassment when he realized what the small skeleton did.

“ **DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!** ”, he yelled at him as he felt magic creep up on his cheekbones, coloring them with an ugly flush.

He lunged towards the two skeletons to grab the blasted phone before more harm will be done to his already damaged reputation but the annoying bastard took a shortcut away from him.

“Send me a copy!”, you breathed from your spot. You were still on the carpet between the coffee table and the couch, so you weren’t able to see this odd magic display, but you were still very much aware of the situation that was going on.

A low chuckle from the upper floor betrayed the other Sans’ new location. “will do, pal!”

“ **No!** ”, the taller skeleton yelled after him.

Edge glared at his brother that was standing right next to him now with a shit-eating grin plastered on his round face. The smaller skeleton only shrugged as if the entirety of this situation was out of his control and that only earned him an annoyed shove that barely made him take a step back.

“Aw, come on… that was funny.”, your giggle attracted Edge’s attention to your attempts to crawl onto the couch. When you finally managed to do that and plopped on the cushions with a tired huff, you smiled widely at him.

“ **I said no.** ”, the annoyed skeleton said threateningly while pointing his finger at you.

“Just _three_ seconds…”, you whined.

Edge shoot a cold glare at the upper floor balustrade but his focus was back on you. “ **No. And don’t you smile at me like that.** ”

You propped your chin on the armrest and tried to make big pleading eyes at him. “A _screenshot_ then! I wanna have your smiling face on my phone background, _please~_!”

“ **Let me rephrase that… I _know_ your weakness now.** ”, the tall skeleton lowered his tone while taking a very meaningful step towards the couch.

With a shriek, you hid behind the backrest. A second later a cushion flew at Edge’s direction, missing him and hitting Sans straight in the face.

 

* * *

The two other skeletons quickly skedaddled to Grillby’s, deciding it would be a good idea to give Edge and you some space. The taller skeleton was somewhat grateful for that but at the same time he felt like he was robbing you from some quality time with your other monster friends. You were, after all, leaving to your ‘ _monsterless_ ’ town and he knew you were quite fond of both Sanses, for whatever reasons. He just hoped you didn’t notice the looks they exchanged right before leaving the house.

 

 

The zombie movies you had brought were mediocre at best but the contents of those gruesome and inconsistent stories were much more interesting with your silly comments interjected along the way. At some point, Edge even joined you in a weird banter, trying to come up with at least logical arguments to your zombie rights propaganda. It ended up in him throwing some normal, salty popcorn at you - the caramel one turned out to be too sweet for his and even your tastes. You were infuriating in your own endearing way that Edge came to adore over time.

“Ugh… alright. This one had _no_ redeeming qualities.”, you huffed when the third movie ended and the closing credits started crawling on the frozen frame of the last scene.

Edge cocked his head a little, not moving from his spot on the couch. “ **The dog part was entertaining.** ”

You snorted with laughter and untangled your legs to reach for the remote that was on the far corner of the coffee table. It was there on purpose - none of you were allowed to turn off the movie before it ended, no matter how awful it was. The only breaks happened when one of you was laughing too loud to actually focus on the movie and that meant rewinding it a little.

“ **But I think I have enough of those series for now too.** ”, the skeleton admitted.

You hummed and lazily shuffled to the DVD player to take out the disc and put it back into the case. “You know there’s _three_ more, right?”

“ **I am painfully aware of that fact, human.** ”, Edge groaned, not ready to face yet another atrocious cinematic abomination. “ **You brought other titles too, we can check those.** ”

“Or…”, you turned on your heel to face him and smiled. “... we could watch our movie. You still have the camera, right?”

The skeleton froze in the middle of scratching the back of his skull and stared at you for a long while. He actually managed to forget about that stupid project the whole band and all the skeletons took part in. “ **... yes. I have it.** ”

“Okay, so we can watch it as a… palate cleanser?”, your smile got even bigger.

“ **No amount of palate cleanser will be enough to make me ready for more of that shit.** ” Edge frowned a little. “ **Shouldn’t you watch that with all the group here?** ”

“ _Maybe_. But now that I have this idea I’m too impatient to wait.”, you jumped on the couch and leaned on the skeleton’s shoulder to flutter your eyelashes at him in an irritating attempt to make him do what you want. “ _Pretty please, Eggy~!_ ”

“ **Fine.** ”, he gave in almost immediately, as usual. He rolled his eye lights and gently pushed you away to be able to stand up freely.

The camera, by some another miracle, was intact after his magic tantrum. He found it during the second day of the work he needed to do to return his room into a more habitable state. It rolled under the bed and remained there, safe, until he finally found it and put in a box. Edge was using it as a temporary container for those of his belongings that didn’t get utterly destroyed.

Now it was in his hand, a little scratched on the casing but still functional, as he walked down the stairs. He wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about the idea of seeing your reactions to what has transpired during the recording. He knew that he wasn’t the only one who used it and was genuinely curious what the other humans and monsters decided to add to the movie. At the same time, he started to feel extremely self-conscious about the fact that he would see himself as a third person, hear his own voice, listen to the words he used. And you were going to see that too...

Before he had a chance to voice his concerns or even hide the camera from your reach, you grabbed it with a triumphant ‘ _yeah!_ ’ and quickly started plugging the device to the big screen in the living room.

Not entirely happy, he still decided to indulge you. You seemed so thrilled to see the whole thing that maybe a little bit of his own discomfort wasn’t too big of a price to pay for that. He took his spot on the couch and prepped both of his arms on the backrest. In a few moments, you joined him there, crossing your legs and grinning widely at the very first scene.

It was… certainly an experience to see all the people he knew on the big screen. He was used to seeing only actors or news anchors there, so watching the familiar faces and hearing familiar voices like that was a bit strange to him. Besides, was that really how he sounded like? The longer he watched himself be an asshole on the screen, the more he was getting certain he would kick his own coccyx if he ever had a chance.

But there were also other things. His soul grew a little when he could see his brother losing his shit from laughter over the ‘Two Tired’ sculpture he made with you. He felt the same when he heard Sans’ singing voice - something he didn’t know he missed _so dearly_. Edge couldn’t also help but smirk at some of the shenanigans that happened on the screen, be it Papyrus chasing his brother around the house or Toby and Cindy sneaking up on him and Damien during one of their ‘creative phases’.

The ‘Rick Roll’ joke flew right over his head and he couldn’t understand your offended and amused shrieks when the song started. No amount of your explaining could make him get it either so you finally decided to drop the topic.

He also noticed that… he felt jealous of you dancing with Papyrus. Edge knew that was absolutely selfish and unacceptable of him to even consider barring you from similar activities with the other people, but he couldn’t help to feel a slight jab in his soul when that particular scene unfolded into that. You seemed happy and he wanted to see you happy. This should be _enough_ for him.

At least the DnD session scene was enough to make the irritating feeling go away. That particular evening had been one of the most interesting ones to Edge. To learn that humans still loved tales about magic and monsters and even _tried_ to put themselves in there. That there were whole systems and manuals revolving around that. Humans missed magic all the time, even when they thought it wasn’t real at all. The mere thought was somewhat uplifting - they didn’t entirely forget about the monsters, no matter how long time ago the two races got separated by the Barrier.

When his own scarred face filled the screen and he noticed the violin in his hands, Edge groaned. “ **Alright, that’s it. I’m doing a tea run.** ”

“Aw… _why?_ ”, you turned to him, your expression curious. The sound of his violin filled the living room and he barely resisted the urge to cringe.

“ **The less I hear it the better for my dignity.** ”, the skeleton shook his head, very displeased with his own awful performance.

You quickly paused the movie. “Nooo! I need my monster friend to watch that.”, you whined as you grabbed his arm. “Let me shower him with compliments all the way.”

Edge stood up anyway and that forced you to let go with a jokingly hurt expression on your face. “ **It’s not even _close_ to decent. It wasn’t finished then.** ”, he grumbled, feeling how his cheekbones tingled with magic a little.

“Oh. You think you could play the same thing now?”, your eyes were shining as you voiced that idea and Edge was ready to comply. But…

“ **I left my violin in the rehearsal room.** ”, he shook his head.

You seemed a little heartbroken over that particular fact but after a very short while you perked up again. “Maybe later? When I come back… or even over the video chat like we talked about?”

“ **Perhaps.** ”, he gave this a nod and grabbed the mugs from the coffee table before turning towards the kitchen.

Halfway there, he heard you rewind the cassette a little and play the violin part from the beginning. The video chat idea was certainly very appealing to him. Despite the distance, he would be able to see you and talk to you from time to time. That, of course, would require him to finally fix the walls but being able to play the violin for you, even with you being far away, was worth that effort. Keeping in touch with you was a nice thought.

It would most certainly make your trip more bearable to him… even if those were the last moments he would be able to contact you before…

He shook his head, chasing away the grim thoughts that were lurking in the corners of his mind since the letter arrived. He would have a lot of time to dwell on those when you’re gone. For now, he should focus on drawing as much positive energy and joy he could from your presence this evening. You had fun with him, again, and there was nothing more he could want this time. Just a normal evening with you, doing normal stuff, hearing your voice, your laughter…

His both hands were idly occupying themselves with preparing more tea for both of you. Over time, it turned into a somewhat calming habit of his - choosing the mugs, choosing the tea, boiling water… It was familiar and normal. And at least he had _some_ control over how much sugar his mug would contain.

The water was still quite warm from the last tea run that happened in the middle of that horrible movie, so he was finished quickly enough. With two mugs of steaming beverages in his hands, he re-entered the living room just as the violin part was ending. His unappealing scarred face was close to the camera again as his past self tried to turn it off.

Maybe he could be able to coax you into watching that zombie romance one he noticed in the stack of movies. It seemed more interesting than hearing another fake piercing scream of a damsel in distress, that was for sure.

“ _ **... the rest of my life and there will be only one person at fault here.**_ ”

His own voice rang in the room as if it was the only sound that ever existed and made him freeze right next to the coffee table.

“ ** _That all I will do is… just take and hurt people. All the kindness and patience and… everything. All your kindness… All I ever do is say hurtful shit at you._** ”

Edge felt too paralyzed to turn his head and look at the screen. When he finally managed to do that, he regretted even trying. He saw his own form, sitting at the edge of the bed. Hunched up. Small. Broken. Defeated.

“ ** _Even when I’m friends with you now… I complain, call you disgusting, yell at every little thing you do…_** ”

No. No no. Shut up. _Shut the fuck up_. Please. Stop it. _Make it stop_.

“ **And… And your presence in my life means so much to me and I can’t do shit to show how grateful I am…** ”

Everything in him screamed to just drop the mugs on the floor and turn off the TV or shatter the camera before more of those pathetic words reach you, but he couldn’t move. You _saw_ it. You _saw_ that side of him. It was _too late_ , too fucking late and he was still talking. _Stars_ , he was still saying those weak things…

“ ** _... sometimes I wonder why are you even my friend… what could you possibly…_** ”

The Edge on the screen finally snapped himself from the vulnerable daze he was in and stomped angrily towards the camera.

“ ** _What the fuck am I doing…_** ”

The screen went black a moment later, making the whole living room get much darker.

It got silent as if nobody was there at all. The only sound was of the camera’s running tape but even that barely audible murmur ended with a soft click that echoed in the silence.

When you finally moved, the couch creaked a little and Edge's head snapped to look away from you. He stood frozen in place, unable to even muster a single glance in your direction.

“Edge…”, your voice was odd, almost neutral. It did sound familiarly gentle but at the same time, you used his name. Why didn’t you use a nickname? Why didn’t you call him ‘big guy’? Why…?

Only when you touched his hand and tried to pry it open to free one of the mugs, he noticed he was trembling a little. Some of the tea spilled on the carpet in the process but you were able to retrieve the mug from him and put it on the coffee table with a soft knock.

For some reason, you kept one of your hands on his wrist, holding him as if you knew his mind was frantically considering running away. The second mug ended up on the table much quicker because Edge was slowly coming back to his senses and didn’t resist this time. But that fact didn’t help him even a little bit.

He felt you staring at him but he didn’t have any strength left to return that gaze. His face was still turned to the side, eye lights glued to the carpet in the dark corner of the room.

“ **You… weren’t supposed to see this…** ”, he whispered, his voice too broken to form in his proverbial throat. “ **... any of this…** ”

He felt the touch of your soft palm on his cheekbone. It was gentle and so very careful but he still felt his soul shudder almost as if it expected pain instead of caress. His eye sockets slowly shut as he instinctively leaned to the warmth.

“ **I had to…** ”, he continued in the same defeated tone. “ **... I had to record over it… it… I couldn’t… it was too short…** ”

“It’s _ok_.”, you answered, also whispering. He felt your thumb trace over the hard edge of his cheekbone and he needed all his might to keep his breath from hitching. “You didn’t have to leave it on the tape. It’s alright.”

“ **I broke the rules…** ”, he murmured so softly there was a chance you wouldn’t catch that.

The sole argument was pointless at this situation but his reeling mind couldn’t come up with anything more to say. What could he say anyway? That he was _sorry_ you saw that part of him? That broken, good for nothing _garbage_ that is always hiding somewhere under the layers of senseless anger and violence? That he knew he shouldn’t act weak _or_ aggressive but couldn’t help it?

“Shh… shh… come here…”, your whisper reached to him through the thick veil of dark thoughts and he felt a gentle tug on his wrist.

Like a puppet, he allowed you to pull him wherever you wanted and shortly after his own knees gave in when you pushed him carefully towards the couch. He obediently sat on the armrest, his head low and submissive and jaw clenched so hard he began to feel the pain of his sharp teeth poking the bone.

He felt a faint puff of your breath on his face as you got closer but he didn’t dare to look at you. You closed the distance between your body and his and very carefully wrapped your arms around him. One of your hands circled his ribs as far as you could reach while the other cradled the back of his skull. He leaned forward into that accepting embrace and couldn’t help but take a deep breath when he pressed his forehead to your neck.

“ **I… meant that.** ”, he spoke in a very weak voice but he was sure you heard him. His face was almost tucked under your chin and he thought he felt you shiver when his breath reached your skin. “ **I… really appreciate you being my… my friend, ________.** ”

He had to take a deeper breath before continuing. “ **And… I very rarely… show that appreciation.** ”

You didn’t say anything but you didn’t have to as he felt your arms squeeze around him a little tighter. Only then he finally moved his arms to return the embrace and pressed his face against the crook of your neck. His breath hitched again as all of the tension from the past few days flooded his soul and threatened to get out in the least dignified way imaginable. How was it possible that such a frail and silly human like you could make him feel so vulnerable with nothing more than a hug?

“ **I-I apologize.** ”, he stuttered after a while when he was sure he wouldn’t break down because of his own words. “ **For my… ‘assholery aura’. My behavior… You don’t deserve that. I… I will try to be better...** ”

A few seconds passed and he was certain you were going to continue being silent when he finally heard you speak. “Thank you…”, you muttered and leaned your head to the side to touch his skull with your warm cheek. Your voice sounded weak too.

With a shaky breath, he tightened his embrace around you even more and nuzzled his nasal bone against your neck. He felt so utterly relieved you didn’t say that it was ‘ok’ this time… no matter how he looked at that, how he saw himself on the recording today, his behavior was far from ‘ok’. He needed and craved any trace of your _forgiveness_ and wouldn’t stand you trying to erase his guilt with one short sentence. You understood. You had _always_ understood him.

The reassuring embrace lasted very long and you didn’t give any sign that indicated you had enough. He knew what you were doing - waiting for him to make the first move - and he indulged himself in your warmth for far longer than he felt he should. He was painfully aware that clinging to you was stupid and greedy but he couldn’t help himself this time. He needed you right now, more than anything else. He needed to feel that despite the truth, despite whatever you saw on that screen today, you still were here.

That you still were his friend.

When he finally found the strength to pull away from you, you remained silent and let go of him, allowing your hands to slowly slide down his arm and ribs. It was soothing in a way but also made him immediately long for another hug from you.

The rest of the movie evening continued silently at first. You were sitting closer to him than previously and he felt your knee constantly touch his femur in a simple gesture that he immensely appreciated. Slowly, after a one or two idle comments, the two of you went back to the usual banter about what was happening in the movie. You passed him the popcorn and he leaned a little to reach the tea in your favorite mug and handed it to you. _Nothing_ made his soul feel so light during those past few days like seeing you look back at him with that beautiful smile of yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you have. Edge got finally hugged because of his insecurities!
> 
> I'm always happy to see your comments so if you feel like sharing what you liked in this chapter, feel free to write that!
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord. There's also fanart tag where you can easily browse all magnificent things you did for me and my skellies. Please feel free to show those people some love!
> 
>  


	29. Weathering Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is a princess and Edge is sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter, slower and... it's just fluff stuff and a little foreshadowing maybe? Just last things that needed to be wrapped up before the real fun begins.

And then you left.

Edge still couldn’t afford to leave the house even for a while so he just… stood there, in front of the closed front door, still feeling the lingering warmth of the last hug you gave him before grabbing your bag and disappearing. He wanted to hold you then, keep you with him even for a moment longer. He didn't. He let you go.

And now he felt the emptiness in his soul, like a gaping hole in a place where something important should be. He was also much calmer than before, your presence always soothing that unending, burning anger somewhere deep within him… but that didn’t help him this time. He was still afraid you wouldn’t be able to see him ever again. He clung to hope he was wrong… after all, he had multiple reasons for that, _you_ being one of them.

After a few hours into the night, he received messages from you. You were already at the airport and getting on the plane. Everything was fine and you were going to message him the moment you were on the ground in your home country.

Edge stayed up until he could but the messages that you safely landed on another continent arrived when he was deep in slumber.

* * *

Papyrus finally came home after five days of absence. The way he shut the door behind him was familiar but lacked the usual energy the taller skeleton radiated every waking hour. Edge recognized that anyway and was already downstairs, ready to greet the tall skeleton, to talk to him or at least check on how was he feeling after all the work he had to do but…

He stopped not far away from the doorway to the kitchen as he heard two low voices talking, the lazybones’ usually casual tone verging on angry. He and Papyrus had a fight, apparently. Edge thought better of it and retreated to his room. He wasn’t going to interrupt their talk in any way, especially when his predicament was partially responsible for the argument. Besides, his thoughts were probably very close to what this particular Sans was thinking.

Papyrus _was_ overworking himself for the scarred skeleton’s sake. There was _nothing_ they all could do to stop the Ambassador from running himself into the ground with all the paperwork he and his team needed to go through. But that didn’t mean they were going to be happy about it.

However… being angry at his new brother wasn’t also a good way to go in Edge’s opinion. Worried, yes. Maybe disheartened about the amount of work this situation required from him, that too. But Papyrus wasn’t at fault here at all. If anything, he was the _only one_ who was able and _did_ everything in his power to solve the situation with the best outcome for everybody - be it Edge and the whole monsterkind. So the scarred skeleton didn’t agree with the lazybones' attitude.

Though who was Edge to interfere between those two and the way they worked? He may be a battered copy of the taller skeleton but he _wasn’t_ him. He didn’t exactly understand their relationship, especially with Papyrus acting like the older brother for the most of the time. They were bound to work it out in time, they always seemed to.

Those thoughts still didn’t make their hushed but tense voices disappear from his mind. And didn’t make his soul feel lighter too… but Papyrus needed his rest and he could talk to him at some other time. After all, nothing Edge could say would be helpful now.

* * *

As Sans’ days off ended, Edge was left to his own devices at home, alone.

Well, not entirely. The other skeletons still came home after all. Even Papyrus was finally getting some proper rest in his bedroom (probably that was the effect of the late night talk he had with his own older brother). But most of the time the scarred skeleton spent with a cat, a dog, and his thoughts. At least some evenings were a little more bearable as you usually got up early to have a video chat with him despite the time difference. He liked those moments the most but they left him with a painful longing that only made it harder in the long run.

He tried to fill the rest of his day with something. _Anything_.

First, he focused on fixing his room with the tools and materials he had at hand. Later, when Sans brought home some supplies and that allowed him to do some more, Edge wasn’t feeling like spending his whole time fixing that mess alone. It already looked much better than before anyway.

He gave some attention to Doomfanger and even to Rock - the dumb mutt seemed to like him more than he primarily anticipated and often moved his lazy butt to the room Edge was occupying to keep him company. The skeleton even dared to give the dog some snacks he knew the other Sans kept in the kitchen. It was somewhat satisfying to see the furry creature obey his simple commands with a wagging tail and perked up ears. Edge could partially understand the appeal of having a dog as a companion.

He spent some time just sitting in his brother’s room, mostly to calm himself down and read his sci-fi books - the ones Sans liked the most but Edge never paid attention to the stories he told. He still didn’t like the technical mumbo-jumbo that was littering some pages but read anyways. Reading just managed to keep him away from the real world for a while.

He tried knitting with the thought of giving Papyrus something handmade this Gyftmas, as this time of the year was getting closer, but every attempt felt… useless. After some rows of surprisingly neat loops, he quickly gave up. He picked it up again the next day, only to be discouraged shortly after, as his thoughts idly ran towards ‘what ifs’ circling around the less favorable outcome of the trial.

Would he be imprisoned? Would he be hurt or killed? What would Sans do if his little brother got dusted while he was helpless? How would Papyrus feel if he didn’t manage to save his counterpart from the law he was partially responsible for? What would happen to other monsters when he gets punished for magic use and that opens some door to anti-monster politicians? _And what about you?_ What would _you_ say if one day he wouldn’t be able to have that one hour chat with you? How would _you_ react if another skeleton appeared on the screen just to inform you about the whole ordeal? Would you cry or be angry at him? You seemed to care about Edge to some extent, so he was sure you wouldn’t be happy about that…

He tried. He really tried to think about something else, to have hope everything would be alright. Every time he caught himself spiraling down the dark trail of thoughts to the point of panic, he held onto _hope_. _Hope_ to be free and alive. _Hope_ to have more time to appreciate other people that were around him. _Hope_ to be more active in their lives and in his own life. It wasn’t easy and there were moments when those hopes seemed almost idiotic and useless. It was stupid, after all, to think about living when the only visible path was through death, be it metaphorical or literal one. But he really tried.

The house was quiet for the most of the time during those two weeks. The silence was ringing in Edge’s skull all the time but he didn’t feel like turning on the music to drown the oddly loud lack of sound that echoed in the rooms. Almost as if he was scared he would miss something or that time would flow even faster for him with that. That was another stupid thought he often had - _why_ would he want to slow the time down when every drop of magic in his body wished that time flew faster and the trial was over already. Waiting for the verdict was _killing_ him.

One evening, when the house seemed particularly empty and silent as if time stopped, Edge heard a shuffling sound coming from the living room. It was still pretty early for his brother to come home but Sans did mention trying to get some more time off to spend it with him again. Edge was actually looking forward to it, so he left the cut vegetables on the counter and wiped his hands before leaving the kitchen to meet with his brother… but it wasn’t Sans.

Well, no. It _was_ Sans, but not his. This fact wasn’t the reason Edge froze in the kitchen doorway though.

The small skeleton was sitting on the lowest step of the stairs leading to their bedrooms. Sans was leaning heavily on the wall, his breathing labored as if he ran a while ago. Edge could see droplets on the skull of his brother’s counterpart, glistening in the living room’s light, but it was hard to tell if it was sweat or just water. His clothes were clearly indicating he was outside - the red and blue hoodie seemed damp from the rain and the sneakers on his feet had mud stuck to the white soles.

The whole sight was unusual to Edge and, frankly, quite alarming. This was the first time he saw the lazybones in this state. He looked ill.

“ **...Sans?** ”, Edge used the smaller skeleton’s name for the first time in what seemed to be forever. Anything else felt too out of place at this moment.

As Edge’s rough voice rang in the air, the lazybones flinched in surprise and snapped his head to locate the voice’s owner. The scarred skeleton was quietly standing in the kitchen doorway, just staring at him, so it wasn’t that hard to find him.

A small grimace ruined Sans’ bland expression though no amount of not-giving-a-fuck could erase the utter exhaustion that was clear on his face. He tried to get up from his spot, his hand finding some support on the wall but that attempt quickly failed and the small skeleton was forced to sit back with an unhappy huff.

Edge felt a pang of worry at this sight. It was odd, he knew that, but at the same time, it seemed right, too. This wasn’t his brother, yet at this moment he seemed so similar to him in ways Edge couldn’t name. Besides, this particular annoying lazybones was Papyrus’ family, and he couldn’t just ignore the state he was in and still have his conscience intact.

As the scarred skeleton slowly walked closer to the stairs, Sans attempted to stand up again, only to fail miserably. His moves seemed more nervous and desperate despite his permanent shitty grin that masked most of his feelings. It looked strained to Edge now, like a mask that was threatening to slide off.

During the small skeleton’s third attempt to stand up, Edge was close enough to reach out to help him but his hand got almost swatted away. Almost, because Sans was barely able to lift his hand fast enough to pose any ‘threat’ to Edge’s limb.

“ _don’t_ touch me…”, the small skeleton barked at him, which was another new thing to witness. Sans never used that tone on him.

Edge straightened himself and observed the other skeleton’s futile attempts to force the weakened legs to cooperate as a sudden suspicion dawned on him.

Sans… was afraid of him?

That wouldn’t explain _all_ of his behavior but the moment Sans was actually defenseless with only Edge around showed what the smaller skeleton _really_ thought about him. It wasn’t only disdain or hatred or not caring or whatever other feeling Edge always thought he had towards him. It was _fear_.

And the anger that currently was Sans’ answer to his proximity seemed familiar to him. The small skeleton was lashing out because he was _scared_. Because he didn’t feel safe. Because he suspected only the worst of him.

It was… hard to tell what Edge felt about that. He was annoyed, for sure. He really tried to be a better person lately, even before the trial shit started. He tried to be gentler, to yell less at people, to spend more time with Papyrus and humans and… he… just… Honestly, that was actually _hurtful_. Edge felt hurt by this distrustful behavior, however stupid that sounded.

On the other hand, the whole situation seemed also ironic and plain silly.

“ _ **Seriously?**_ ”, Edge leaned a little and put his hands on his knees to have a better view of Sans’ exhausted and sweaty face. There was still annoyance boiling in him but, despite that, he smirked. “ **Listen, you stubborn prick.** ”

Sans’ head jerked up at the tone he used, his white eye lights smaller than usual and almost glued to Edge’s face.

“ **I’m _more_ concerned about Papyrus’ disappointment with me for leaving you sick on the stairs than about your biteless barking.**”, the taller skeleton scoffed. “ **So either you suck it _the fuck up_ and let me help you get to your room or I will carry your ass there like a fucking _spoiled princess_ because sure as hell you act like one.** ”

The silence that fell after those words was filled only with deep and labored breaths of the exhausted skeleton that was still losing his fight against the gravity and remained on the last step.

Sans hung his head after a moment and breathed. “fair…”

The taller skeleton suppressed the urge to let out a relieved sigh. He honestly thought the lazybones would put up more of a fight when it came to Edge’s attempts to assist him. It occurred to him that Sans was even more spent than he seemed.

Edge lowered himself to one knee and reached towards Sans to grab him under the shoulder. Before he even touched the smaller body, he saw him flinch again and lean away from the touch.

“ **I will _not_ hurt you.** ”, the scarred skeleton huffed impatiently.

Sans grimaced again. “... i know that.”

This time Edge didn’t stop when another sign of discomfort clearly showed in the way the other skeleton’s body tensed at the touch. He grabbed his humerus firmly and pulled slightly upwards, checking how much of weight Sans’ tired legs could take.

“ **Get your ass up.** ”, Edge murmured that encouragement as he noticed how long it took for the other skeleton to stand up by himself.

Sans finally managed something that could be called standing if one was generous enough. Not waiting for the lazybones to make the first move, the taller skeleton started hauling his brother’s counterpart upstairs, waiting for him to lift a muddied sneaker halfway to the next step. The labored breathing deepened and there were moments Edge was sure the other skeleton would faint from exertion but he pressed on. He could pass out on the bed, right?

“... i gotta ...pick up the kid…”, Sans breathed heavily halfway up the stairs but made no indication he wanted to free himself from the taller skeleton’s grasp.

Edge rolled his eye lights. “ **Not in this state, no.** ”, he said flatly. “ **I _know_ you’re not stupid and won’t risk killing yourself and the kid because of your stubbornness.** ”

A very tired and displeased grumble was all the answer he got. That actually sounded to Edge almost as if it was his own brother. The tone, the garbled muttering, the unhappy whine at the very end of the sound. It was bizarre enough for the taller skeleton to chuckle lowly.

“ **You’re both impossible…** ”, he said in an amused tone but the smirk on his face immediately disappeared when he felt the body he was dragging upstairs suddenly sagged. “ ** _Sans?_** ”

Edge stopped in his tracks and knelt again to check whether the other skeleton was still conscious - which he was. His sweaty forehead was pressed to the next step as he tried to get up with the help of his free hand, his bones rattling slightly from exhaustion. What the fuck did he do to run himself to that state?

“ **Just _let_ me…** ”, the taller skeleton huffed with a worried sigh in a tow.

He could pick him up without asking and be done with it. That would be faster and probably healthier for the smaller skeleton but at the same time, Edge understood how undignifying that could be. It shouldn’t be like that... Sans shouldn’t hate and fear him so much.

“… m’ not babybones or dying.”, came a weak and defiant answer and Sans was ready to slowly get up enough to continue the climb. It was close to a snail’s pace though.

Finally, after what seemed to be ages, Edge managed to get the lazybones to agree to be carried to his bed. He did admire his stubbornness to keep his dignity intact but ultimately they both were tired, annoyed and had to stuff their honor into the gutter anyway. The situation was too serious to focus on their previous feuds.

Despite the weak protests, Edge almost automatically stripped Sans off his damp hoodie and began undoing the velcro to get his dirty shoes off. At the second sneaker, Sans stopped fighting him and didn’t comment on the fact that Edge very gently tucked him under a thin blanket shortly after. The taller skeleton tried to ignore how familiar he felt doing _that_.

Edge took a few steps away from Sans’ bed and took out his phone to call his own lazy brother. As he waited for the other skeleton to pick up, his red eye lights focused on the colorful stickers glued to the wall right above the bed’s headboard.

“ ** _Yeah?_** ”, the gruff voice in the speaker answered. “ ** _Somethin’ up, bro?_** ”

“ **Yes.** ”, Edge’s gaze shifted to the lazybones' sweaty face. Sans had his eyes closed but the taller skeleton couldn’t say for sure whether he was sleeping already. “ **I assume you know how to pick up and escort Frisk both ways. You need to fill in for Sans.** ”

There was a long pause filled only with some far away voices that Edge assumed were his brother’s co-workers.

“ ** _... What happened?_** ”, his brother asked finally.

“ **Seems like our hosts share more family traits than we previously suspected.** ”, Edge jabbed, still looking as Sans’ pale face. “ **Now the bag of bones is out of commission because, despite being a lazybones, he ran himself almost into the ground.** ”

“ ** _Huh…_** ”, that was the only thing Edge got. Something in the tone of that told him that his brother knew more than he let on. Whatever questions he had now, they needed to wait for later.

“ **Are you able to do that?** ”, the taller skeleton asked in his usual demanding tone, the captain part of him trying to take over again. “ **There’s nobody else I could call, Papyrus is probably neck deep in paperwork again.** ”

The skeleton on the other side of the call hummed in agreement. “ ** _Yeah, sure. I can. Keep an eye on that asshole for me, will ya?_** ”

With a heavy sigh, Edge shook his head. At least that problem would be solved. “ **He’s not going anywhere.** ”, he assured.

“ ** _Kay._** ”, and with that, the reasonable, logical and not exhausted Sans hang up.

With a low grumble Edge looked at his phone. Just as he was about to dial another number, he heard a very weak voice coming from the bed.

“... don’t call pap.”, Sans said, his voice too tired to have any particular tone.

“ **I _have_ to.** ”, Edge rolled his eye lights yet again. “ **I don’t like you enough to face his leveled tone and disappointed glare.** ”

Edge took those few steps back to the bed to lean over the vulnerable body of his brother’s counterpart and point his sharp finger at him. “ **But I will gladly sentence _you_ to that.** ”

“ouch…”, the lazybones breathed.

He didn’t know what kind of madness came over that particular skeleton to overexert his lazy ass to this point of exhaustion and he probably shouldn’t care. Unfortunately, the whole household’s life was currently focused on one thing and if the scarred skeleton had to guess, this had something to do with the trial too. Again, he was the cause of this. Probably. Maybe. He shouldn’t care what’s going on in this Sans’ life.

“ **Just don’t die when you’re in my care…** ”, Edge idly straightened the blanket’s corner. “ **... and I will not mention the princess incident on the last three steps.** ”

That managed to startle a very weak chuckle out of the small skeleton. Sans slowly raised his hand to cover his eye sockets with a scarless forearm. “... you have a deal, pal.”

Edge nodded a few times, probably only to himself as the other skeleton couldn’t see him do that, and with a deep inhale he decided that it was his cue to leave. He doubted Sans would try anything now - he was too exhausted to even move and the thing he wanted to deal with was currently being taken care of.

The only thing left to do was to inform Papyrus about what was happening. He didn’t want to worry the other skeleton with that but… he knew the Ambassador would like to know that. He trusted Edge after all, and keeping any information about his brother’s health to himself sounded like something that could easily break that trust.

“uh…”, Sans’ weak voice was still loud enough in the room for Edge to hear it. “... just…”

The scarred skeleton turned to look at him. The smaller skeleton’s pose didn’t change at all, he was still lying limblessly on his back with the blanket wrapped tightly around him. There were still sweat droplets on his skull but considerably fewer than a few minutes ago. He was staring at Edge through the space between his forearm's bones.

“ **Spit it out, for fuck’s sake.** ”, Edge growled. “ **Both of us want this to end.** ”

Sans let out an affirmative grunt and allowed his head to turn on the pillow enough to face the ceiling. “... thanks, edgelord.”

The taller skeleton gave him a nod but shook his head right after. “ **You’re welcome, bag of bones.** ”

Edge finally left the room and pushed the one last button that connected him with Papyrus’ personal phone.

* * *

When Edge violently woke up in the middle of the night, he needed way more than a second to realize that what he saw was just a bad dream. The blanket that was tangled around his legs didn’t help much, but a very unhappy meowl of an angry cat managed to snap him out of the panicked daze his nightmare invoked. He fell to the floor nonetheless, but the pain of his cheekbone hitting the clean carpet was enough for him to finally understand how _stupid_ his reaction was.

There was no dust on the floor - he remembered vacuuming it the previous morning - and there was a _cat_. He didn’t have a cat in the Underground. That was an undeniable fact.

With a soft groan, he managed to push himself up from the carpet and back on the mattress, where he laid for a while, just staring through the window. Stars scattered on the night sky were yet _another_ proof that whatever he saw not so long ago was only a figment of his overly active imagination that went haywire due to the overwhelming stress.

He _wasn’t_ in the Underground. He _didn’t_ see Undyne fall to pieces in his arms. He _didn’t_ hear her accusing tone, asking why he didn’t tell her where he’d gone. He didn’t see her face turn into _your_ face. He didn’t hear your voice ask the same thing over and _over and **over** …_

Edge pressed his bony hands to his face and took a few deep breaths to further calm himself down. He was _painfully_ aware of his feelings of guilt regarding both the one friend he left behind and you not being informed about his dire situation. He didn’t _need_ a reminder about that at night, especially when he was thinking about this every hour he was awake. He just wanted to fucking rest… even a little.

The magic in his bones was still swirling anxiously and he doubted he would be able to fall asleep anytime soon. Idle staring at the ceiling appeared to be fruitless too, so he sat up and untangled his long limbs from the blanket that somehow got wrapped around his ankles and knees. He placed his bare feet on the carpet and moved his bony toes a little, focusing on the scratchy feeling and grounding himself even more.

It was just a _stupid_ dream.

He slowly stood up, feeling some of his joints pop silently as he moved, and he pulled his pajama pants a little higher on his pelvis. There was nothing to do in his room and any fixing, cleaning or other louder activities had to be postponed for the morning or even noon. Everybody was probably sleeping much better than he was and, unlike Edge, they needed rest more than him.

His brother’s sudden days off needed to be _worked off_ , so the overtime he had to suffer through took a toll on him. Hopefully, he would manage to carve up some more time right before the trial but now, Edge really preferred that his brother slept soundly throughout the entire night.

The other Sans was… recovering. Whatever made him use up all his magic, he remained stubbornly tight-lipped about that, especially for a person with absolutely no lips. As far as the scarred skeleton knew, nobody was able to get the truth out of him and that, of course, worried every skeleton in the house. But they all let him be and rest properly, undisturbed. Even Edge’s brother took over walking Rock at odd hours, so the lazybones wouldn’t be worried about his pet.

And Papyrus…

It was good to at least _see_ the Ambassador home now. He was still tired and busy but at least he was out of his office. The incident with Sans even assured he spent every night at home, not only every second one. Edge hoped that this wasn’t yet another thing that would push his counterpart towards even more work though.

Perhaps a glass of water would calm him enough to attempt falling asleep again. Anything seemed better than going back to bed at this moment. With a tired and resigned huff, Edge left his room and headed downstairs while simultaneously trying his best not to step on his butthurt cat that decided to leave with him. She could be as grumpy as he was when suddenly awaken from a nap, that's for sure. 

The kitchen light was on and Edge noticed that fact about halfway down the stairs. He didn’t suspect to see anybody up at this hour but perhaps the lazybones finally felt strong enough to sneak to the fridge to get a snack in the middle of the night like he sometimes used to do.

When he entered the only lit room in the entire house, it wasn’t his brother’s counterpart helping himself with dinner leftovers he caught in there. To say that Edge was surprised to see Papyrus reading a stack of papers while hundreds of other documents laid around him on the kitchen table would be a lie. It wasn’t a sight he wanted to see but it was a given that the overworked skeleton would try to finish some of his work at home.

Edge’s bare feet clicked on the tiled floor and that made Papyrus raise his head and look straight at him. His eye sockets had dark rings under them and his complexion seemed even paler than usual.

“OH. HELLO EDGE…”, Papyrus turned a little to look at the clock that hung on the wall over the kitchen door. “DID I WAKE YOU UP?”, he asked with a concern in his voice as his eye lights looked back at the scarred skeleton.

Edge shook his head. “ **No…** ”, his voice sounded hoarse and he remembered he came here to drink some water. “ **... just couldn’t sleep.** ”

“I SEE.”, his counterpart answered curtly and leaned over the documents he was currently reading.

Edge walked to the cupboard and fished a tall glass before reaching to the fridge and helping himself with some cool water. With a glass in hand, he turned his attention back to Papyrus when he was done.

“ **You look tired.** ”, he spoke when the first sip cleared his proverbial throat a little.

Papyrus looked up from the papers again and for a moment his expression seemed as if he was about to pretend he’s feeling better than he actually looked. To Edge’s surprise, he dropped the act immediately.

“I am…”, he answered in a low tone and placed the document he was reading on a stack to his left. “This work is honestly exhausting. I didn’t know how much attention it would require when I agreed to that.”, he continued in a slightly hollow tone as he laced his slender fingers and placed them in front of him. “And it was far easier at the beginning.”

Edge’s tired expression shifted into a scowl as he sat across the table. “ **My trial isn’t helping you either.** ”, he pointed out and took another sip of cold water.

The Ambassador scoffed and a smile crept back to his face.

“NONSENSE. I AM HAPPY TO ASSIST YOU, BROTHER.”, he said in his usual and cheery voice though it still looked strained.

The scarred skeleton looked away, not able to face his counterpart after everything that was happening because of him. His own soul was heavy as if he was the one who was almost literally drowning in paperwork and had a burden of the whole of monsterkind on his shoulders. No matter how Edge looked at that, he was responsible for Papyrus’ current state.

He tried to focus on his glass but it was almost impossible to avoid thinking about this fact when the exhausted proof was sitting with him at the same table. Every rustle of papers, every suppressed tired sigh, every sip of cold coffee felt like _another_ brick weighing his soul. The low ticking of the clock was somehow deafening to him at the moment. Edge felt an urge to leave his glass where it stood, only half-empty, and just hide in his room again. But he was just so fucking tired of running…

“ **I…** ”, he muttered, his tone hesitant. He felt his counterpart’s eye lights on himself but didn’t stop. “ **I… apologize for causing you so much trouble.** ”

“NO, YOU SHOULDN’T”, Papyrus’ tone was firm but reassuring. “WE _TALKED_ ABOUT THAT BEFORE, THERE WAS NO BETTER WAY TO SAVE YOUR FRIEND. YOU DID WHAT YOU HAD TO-”

Edge slammed the glass on the table, the clear liquid spilled on his hand and even some got on the floor. The other skeleton went silent, his hand frozen mid-gesture to grab his coffee mug.

“ **You _misunderstood_.** ”, Edge growled in annoyance and raised his head to stare straight at his counterpart’s tired and surprised eye lights. “ **The fact that this trial is so difficult now is because of _my_ previous behavior and transgressions. I see you working your ass off for every monster, and that includes _me_.** ”

The scarred skeleton relaxed his grip on the glass and shook his hand a little to get rid of the water. His anger, that burst out of him so suddenly, was dying out already but he remained determined to keep the eye contact.

“ **I should have been _more_ considerate of your work from the very beginning. I am _sorry_ that I wasn’t.** ”, he continued with a less angry tone this time.

Papyrus was staring back at him, his expression confused for a while as he was clearly processing his counterpart’s words. The moment the meaning of what Edge said finally dawned on him, his exhausted face brightened as he smiled. The other skeleton’s mind idly wondered whether that was what the lazybones meant when he called Papyrus his ‘sun’.

“I’M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT, EDGE.”, the Ambassador said with an honest smile.

Edge’s eye lights quickly dropped on the glass next to him. Out of embarrassment or something else? He couldn’t tell. But he wasn’t going to dwell on that - he had something else to say.

“ **And if… if I’ll be still a free monster after the trial…** ”, he muttered. “ **I wish to help you with your work in any way possible. To somehow… atone further for what I have done…** ”

The clock ticked a few seconds away, but Papyrus said nothing. That forced the scarred skeleton to nervously clear his proverbial throat and glance at his counterpart.

“ **That… that is all I wanted to say.** ”, he added, slightly uncomfortable under Papyrus’ soft gaze.

The Ambassador’s smile widened a little. “WHEN.”

Edge blinked a few times and that made his counterpart chuckle.

“ _WHEN_ YOU’LL BE A FREE MONSTER.”, Papyrus clarified with mirth in his voice. “I HAVE NO DOUBT YOU WILL BE EXCUSED FOR THIS PARTICULAR USE OF MAGIC.”

The other skeleton shook his head in disbelief but there was a smile on his scarred face too. “ **You really believe that, don’t you?** ”

“OF COURSE!”, he exclaimed firmly and flinched a little as he looked worriedly at the doorway. He continued in a much more hushed tone, his bright smile slowly turning into a smirk. ”AND I _WILL_ TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR PROMISE.”

“ **That sounded vague and ominous…** ”, Edge shook his head, already trying to stop his imagination from running wild. He was perfectly aware what utterly disturbing useful punishments Papyrus was able to come up with. No matter what he would have to do though… he felt grateful.

“ **I appreciate you believing in my chances.** ”, the scarred skeleton said softly and quickly stood up to take care of his glass and the water spilled on the floor. _Anything_ to hide how awkward he suddenly felt.

Papyrus huffed under his breath in something that sounded like mock-offense. “I’VE _ALWAYS_ BELIEVED IN YOU, BROTHER.”

As Edge was focusing on the running water in front of him, he couldn’t fight back a very embarrassed smile that found its way onto his face. There was a chance he would sleep a little better tonight, despite all the tension and heaviness that settled around his soul.

A small glimmer of hope, one could say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand in the next chapter... IS THE TRIAL. *maniacal laughter*
> 
> *cough*
> 
> Feel free to comment! Tell me what you think about the chapter~! Any ideas or theories what big bro Snas was up to?
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic when I answer asks, post my doodles and reblog awesome things concerning our Edgy Edge Lord. There's also fanart tag where you can easily browse all magnificent things you did for me and my skellies. Please feel free to show those people some love!


	30. Black Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, my beautiful Readers. We've been all waiting for this chapter. 
> 
> Have a good read! :>
> 
>  
> 
> (Also big shoutout to [captain_shitpost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_shitpost/pseuds/captain_shitpost) for their lovely writing that made me feel so inspired lately! Honestly, go check out their Bright Eyes and Chariot fics. Just remember to mind the tags!)

 “ _... just calling to tell you I really like it._ ”, Damien’s voice sounded sincere but there was something else in there that made Edge scoff anyway.

The skeleton was standing in the hallway and talking to the bassist over the phone for a while now. He was surprised to receive a call from this particular human but the reason got obvious very quick when Edge remembered what day it was today. Damien’s birthday. There was supposed to be a birthday party for him and Edge was taking part in making it a surprise. However, since the skeleton wasn’t able to come at all, he forgot. After all, he had way more pressing matters to focus on.

“ **I wasn’t the only one responsible for that. We all chipped in for that _stupid_ small guitar.** ”, the skeleton answered and impatiently tapped his sharp finger on the phone’s casing. It felt odd to be thanked for something so silly. It was just a stupid gift.

“ _Well, Toby said it was your idea._ ”, the bassist responded and continued in a much softer tone. “ _He misses you, you know?_ ”

Edge resisted the urge to kick the shoe rack that was conveniently right next to his foot. He settled on a sigh that in the end turned into an annoyed growl. He just wanted to end the call as fast and smooth as possible. He was tired after all the day and hoped to have at least some time to actually rest before tomorrow. Because tomorrow…

“ _... I thought you’d like to hear something… uh… nice… before the trial. Like… we’re all cheering for you and all. So… thanks. And hope to see you soon._ ”, the human’s voice was now a tad apologetic. “ _Uh… bye?_ ”

“ **Have fun at your party.** ”, Edge said curtly and hung up before Damien had a chance to answer.

Edge _hated_ this day.

Since noon, all of the skeletons were home. Sans had managed to get another day off and even had a good night sleep before. As a result, he was up _all day_ , anxiously picking at the hem of that ugly red sweater, and following his scarred brother from room to room like a stray dog that didn’t want to be abandoned again. His worried glances only pissed Edge off more and more but the scarred skeleton couldn’t muster enough anger to chase him away.

The other lazybones was occupying the living room for what seemed to be _forever_. He didn’t hide in his own room like he usually did after the late breakfast. He just sat there on the couch and pretended that he didn’t cast wary glances at Edge from time to time. The taller skeleton felt watched again as if this Sans was tasked to make sure he wouldn’t bail at the last moment.

Papyrus came home just when the clock struck noon, tired but oddly energetic, as if he drank one coffee too much and was close to losing it. He declared they all should have a nice and normal dinner together. Which they did... but Edge had to pick what they were going to eat. Gritting his teeth, the scarred skeleton played along the annoyingly obvious plan to show him some kind of support. He chose _the meal_. He chose _the movie_. He _didn’t_ comment on the fact that Papyrus left washing the dishes for later to join everybody in the living room. He remained _silent_ when he noticed that his counterpart was awfully chatty while the other skeletons managed to utter only one or two comments throughout the whole movie.

He understood what was going on, and he appreciated it for what it was. But at the same time, Edge felt the tension and anger swell in his soul with each passing moment. It all seemed strained and _fake_. Everybody tried their best to act as if nothing bad was happening and it was driving him _mad_. He wanted to yell at them to stop this shit, to do their own things, to make this day seem like every other day...

Because it all seemed like a goodbye to him.

For a brief moment, Edge was glad to receive a phone call from the Miserable Lot’s lead singer. It was a salvation for him, as the first movie was ending and Papyrus was already pondering about playing another one. He excused himself very quickly and evacuated to the hallway to answer the phone, only to scowl again shortly after.

It seemed like _everybody_ wanted to do something for him but nobody actually asked him what he really needed. Edge was torn between feeling grateful for everything other people were doing for him that day and following the urge to tell them all to _fuck off_. He was feeling more on edge the closer the night got and he was really glad he still had some semblance of self-control not to scream at anybody. He didn’t want the last interactions with them to be a fight after all. That would be stupid… and also selfish.

That evening wasn’t only for him. That call also was something more than only showing that the humans were there for him too. They all just… wanted to be around as long as it was still possible. At least that’s what Edge thought about most of them. Only the bag of bones behaved like his warden but he didn’t blame him for that. If Edge suddenly decided to run away, the Ambassador would be in the deepest shit possible. It was only reasonable that this skeleton looked out for his brother.

When he came back to the living room, he was thankful to see that the smaller skeletons have disappeared and his counterpart went back to the kitchen to take care of the dishes. He had enough, and somehow he knew that the rest of the household felt the same. Edge felt both relief and fear as he took in the sight that was the empty living room. It seemed so… ultimate. The room was quiet, the TV was off, everybody was doing something on their own and he was… just outside of their lives. In the hallway.

Edge looked over his shoulder. The front door was a few meters away from him, almost at his arm’s reach. If he did those few steps in that direction, turned the handle and just left, no one would be the wiser for a while. He could run away if he wanted to.

Instead, he pocketed his phone, and with a tired sigh, he allowed his legs to carry him to the kitchen. His counterpart, wearing that stupid frilly apron again, was occupied with the dishes. The sounds of water falling on the plates and cutlery clinking on the glasses felt comforting and normal. Like something that would be nice to be a part of.

Without a second thought, Edge rolled up his jumper’s sleeves as he walked to the sink and quite rudely pushed Papyrus to the side.

“H-HEY. I WAS DOING THOSE.”, the other skeleton argued, a dripping wet plate in his hands. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO-”

“ ** _Shut up._** ”, Edge snapped as he took the plate and the washer out of his counterpart’s hands and began scrubbing away the sauce stains from the dirty dish.

There was a moment he thought that Papyrus would try to fight him about that but thankfully, he didn’t. Without a word, the other skeleton grabbed a clean dishrag and started drying those dishes that were already done. In the next moment, they stood shoulder to shoulder over the sink, occupied with the simple task of washing and drying the cutlery, glasses, plates, and pans. The sounds of running water and clinking dishes were the only things accompanying them.

Edge was too focused on his movements to pay attention to his brother at the beginning, but as his thoughts started to wander, his eye lights did that too. He didn’t need to look at his hands to properly scrub a pan, so he gazed idly at the tap at first and then at his counterpart’s hands. After a moment, his gaze wandered higher, and he just stared at Papyrus’ pale and tired face for a while with the corner of his eye sockets.

The Ambassador’s expression was blank, with no sign of a strained smile that he had plastered on his face for those past few hours. The dark circles under his eye sockets weren’t looking as bad as Edge remembered but they were still pretty visible. For the first time, his attention was drawn to the scar on his counterpart’s cheekbone… the one a random human made those years ago. The one that didn’t stop him from believing that said human was a good person.

Edge wondered what would happen to that belief after the trial.

His hands didn’t find more dishes to clean so he snapped out of his thoughts and turned off the water. There were still some wet plates and pans for Papyrus to dry, so Edge just wiped his hands on another dishrag and took a step away from the sink, leaving him to it.

No matter how much he admired his counterpart and liked his presence, he had enough of that today. He felt a huge need to be alone with his thoughts… or at least not around his tall and loud brother. Hesitantly, he put his hand on Papyrus’ shoulder without looking him in the face, a silent ‘thank you’ for whatever he tried to accomplish this evening. He left the kitchen shortly after. Edge felt a tired gaze on his back but his hopes to be finally left alone were fulfilled - Papyrus didn’t say a thing.

The stairs slightly creaked under his weight as he headed upstairs. Edge stopped at the top to look at the living room from this point of view. His sharp phalanges scraped at the wooden balustrade as the skeleton focused on the sensation of this familiar feeling. When he noticed what the fuck he was doing, he withdrew his hand as if the wood burned him and he scowled. All this ‘family’ time put him in a _wimpy_ mood and all he could think about is that he saw and touched this place for the last time. This was just plain _stupid_. He was supposed to hold on to hope, right? _Right?_

He snapped his head away from the sight and took those few steps towards his room’s door. As his hand touched the handle, he paused. His red eye lights stared absentmindedly at the wood right in front of his nasal bone as he slowly came to a decision.

Edge leaned back a little to glance at the door right next to his. His brother was probably still awake, judging by the soft light coming from under the door.

All the tension and fear that had been coiling in his soul all day pushed him towards it. The scowl on Edge’s face slowly relaxed into a more tired frown as he abandoned the idea of going straight to his room and knocked on Sans’ door. He wondered whether he even should be doing this but his brother was very quiet during the evening and Edge just wanted to maybe talk to him a little longer.

“ **... yeah?** ”, he heard after a painfully long second.

Slowly, the scarred skeleton opened up the door and entered the room. He felt a little odd in there, with Sans inside. Edge usually hid in this room only when his brother was away and visited him only on rare occasions… like that tennis racket incident a few weeks ago. But there he was this time, lying in his bed with a pillow stuffed behind his back and a blanket wrapped around his legs. He had one of his favorite books in his hands. Sans looked comfortable and… just normal.

Edge cleared his proverbial throat, suddenly feeling very out of place. “ **You’re awake I see.** ”, he stated the obvious, like an idiot.

“ **Kinda, yeah…** ” , Sans said and put a finger on the page he was currently reading. He closed the book but didn’t put it away. His gaze was almost boring holes in Edge’s soul right now, so tired and focused at the same time.

The taller skeleton lowered his eye lights and read the book’s title again. It was one of those he tried reading a few days ago and Sans was probably unaware of that fact. He started to feel guilty for entering his brother’s privacy without asking. Edge knew no other skeleton broke this unspoken rule - he was the only one that dared to snoop around like that. _Pathetic_.

“ **Askin’ if ya ok seems stupid, right?** ”, the gruff voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Edge shook his head. “ **I’m… I’m fine. Considering everything.** ”

He looked over his shoulder, thinking about leaving the room before their last conversation today turns into a spiral of awkwardness. They had the talent to do that to themselves, that’s for sure.

Sans let out a deep sigh. “ **I’m not gonna bullshit ya with hopes and stuff, bro. I know that ain’t gonna work on ya anyway.** ”

“ **I know… I didn’t come here for that.** ”, Edge grimaced as he mumbled those words. He actually wouldn’t mind hearing some encouraging lies right now.

The smaller skeleton cocked his head to the side and stared straight at his younger brother intently.

“ **Why then…?** ”, he asked after a pause. His voice seemed curious and inviting but that could have been just Edge’s imagination.

“ **... I don’t know.** ”, he answered and lowered his head. He really didn’t know why was he standing at his brother’s doorstep, especially after spending most of the day wishing he would just leave him alone. _Why_ was he like this? _Why_ was everything like this? _Why_ couldn’t life be just… just simpler?

Sans shifted a little on his bed and chuckled, though it sounded more nervous than happy. “ **So what? Ya wanna listen to me read or shit like that?** ”, he joked as he pointed at the book he was holding.

Edge grimaced and clenched his hand tighter on the doorknob. It wasn’t what he had in mind when he knocked on the door but… what was he actually thinking when he did that? Nothing smart, apparently, as he was silent like an _idiot_ again. Listening to his brother’s voice suddenly became a tempting idea. But Sans _joked_. It was stupid.

“ **... bro?** ” His older brother’s voice sounded tense again.

The scarred skeleton quickly shook his head. “ **Nevermind. I’ll leave you be.** ”, he said.

Just as he was backing away from the room and getting ready to close the door behind him, a gruff voice started talking. It wasn’t the usual way Sans spoke and that was what made Edge freeze.

“ **The fate of a single man can be rich with significance, that of a few hundred less so,** ”, the small skeleton read in a calm tone, as if he never forgot how to use it over those years. “ **...but the history of thousands and millions of men does not mean anything at all, in any adequate sense of the word.** ”

With his eye sockets widened, Edge stared at the floor right where his brother’s room ended and the hallway started. The familiar voice rang in the air and the taller skeleton suddenly felt how his soul almost jumped out of his ribcage to reach the other skeleton that was curled up on the bed.

Edge remembered how this voice, no matter what was being read to him, lulled him to sleep countless times and calmed him down after nightmares. The same tone, the same hoarse voice, the same lisp that never bothered him. Even the way Sans cleared his throat between the longer paragraphs sounded so nostalgic to him.

How long has it been? Ten years? _More..._?

Edge hesitated at the doorstep but somehow his body made a decision for him. His scarred hand slipped from the doorknob as he entered the room and he closed the door behind him. He tried to do that quietly, so he wouldn’t miss any word of what Sans was reading.

Slowly, he walked towards the bed, acutely aware of every creak of the floor panels under the rug that he was stepping on. It didn’t seem that the small skeleton would stop reading if Edge made more noise but at the same time, he didn’t want to burst that bubble of wistful memories that seemed to wrap them both right now. Almost as if he had a warm blanket around his soul. 

In a matter of few steps, Edge was at the side of the bed. He caught a glimpse of his brother’s face as he was sitting and noticed there was an embarrassed flush on the smaller skeleton’s cheekbones. That didn’t have any effect on his voice, and for that silly reason, the taller skeleton felt both grateful and proud. He didn’t stare at him though, just sat on the edge, his elbows propped on his femurs and head hanging a little low. 

His shoulders felt heavy despite the calming effect this familiar voice had on his soul. The burden of all his life, especially those last few weeks filled with anxious waiting and guilt, was weighing on him even now. He was just so _so_ tired. Exhausted even. Who knew sitting on your ass all day would make you more spent than rested… 

“ **... thank you.** ”, he managed to mutter. His brother didn’t stop reading but Edge was sure that he heard that. He just knew.

Edge closed his eyes and just listened to his brother’s voice, remembering the times when he was just a stupid and naive kid and didn’t know how the world worked and how that made his life easier. He wished he could be babybones again. Those were better days. Days when all that mattered was a full belly, his favorite toy, and safety of his big brother’s presence.

* * *

When Edge woke up, he felt in his bones that he didn’t manage to sleep that long. He was still tired and that compelled him to burrow his face in the blanket that was wrapped around him. He closed his eye sockets again and let out a sigh that sounded like a mixture of tiredness and delight. It felt so warm and cozy he didn’t feel like getting up, especially with a horrible day awaiting him if he leaves the bed.

A soft snoring was what jolted him wide awake. With his eye sockets open wide, he stared at the soft fabric in front of his nasal bone as he slowly gathered his surroundings. As his senses took in the room he was in, he came to a very quick and very awkward conclusion - there was somebody sleeping right beside him. The snoring sounded familiar too.

Feeling the wave of embarrassment, Edge slowly shuffled away from the smaller skeleton’s body and closer to the edge of the bed. The memories of the evening flooded his mind and that made his magic creep up onto his cheekbones. Now that was fucking pathetic. He fell asleep next to Sans like an actual babybones.

Trying to be quick but also careful not to jostle his brother awake with his escaping maneuvers, the taller skeleton backed away from Sans, eternally grateful to notice that none of his limbs got trapped by the smaller skeleton’s body. He managed to get up without making too much noise, despite the panicked scrambling he did at the very end when Sans snored a little louder for a second. Nervously, Edge stopped to look at his brother’s sleeping face, to check whether that ass wasn’t only pretending to be asleep.

Sans was sprawled on the bed, with his arms and legs tossed in amusing positions. His sharp teeth were slightly parted and a drop of drool was hanging from the corner of his relaxed grin. The snoring caused by the old injury on his nasal bone was soft and peaceful, with no signs of bad dreams or faking.

He looked stupid but also adorable to Edge, so he allowed himself to smile softly, despite the previous embarrassment. He still felt pathetic about his behavior but at the same time, he was a little glad it happened. If that was the last night they spent together, at least it was like that.

As quietly as possible, Edge left his brother’s room, careful to close the door behind him without making too much noise. The fond smile on his face dropped the moment he looked at the empty corridor and with a defeated sigh, he went to his own room.

His black shirt and red tie were already prepared - he took care of those yesterday to make sure everything was ready in case he overslept or was too nervous to properly iron his clothes. With his soul clenching tighter and tighter in his ribcage, Edge slowly got dressed. He was disappointed his cat wasn’t around as she would probably try to steal his tie and that would be a pleasant distraction from what was going to happen in a few hours. But Doomfanger was nowhere to be seen this time, probably curled up somewhere in the laundry basket, leaving white fur on his dark clothes again.

With the shirt buttoned up to the last button and tie tight around his vertebrae, Edge left his room and walked downstairs. Despite the early hour, there was a smell of coffee and breakfast in the air but that only made him feel more nauseous. He wasn’t hungry at all.

Edge entered the kitchen nonetheless, not surprised to see Papyrus already in his Ambassador’s ensemble and with a half-empty mug of strong coffee in his hand.

“ **Good morning…** ”, the scarred skeleton spoke with a hoarse tone and grimaced. Maybe some coffee wasn’t a bad idea.

Papyrus abandoned reading his newspaper as soon as he noticed him and smiled encouragingly. “GOOD MORNING, BROTHER. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO GO UPSTAIRS AND WAKE YOU UP.”

The other skeleton nodded absentmindedly and felt grateful that his counterpart didn’t try to ask him how he was as he focused on pouring himself some black beverage.

No more words came, and they both drank their wake-me-up poisons in silence - Papyrus slightly hunched over a newspaper again and Edge idly leaning on the kitchen counter next to the fridge. There was a portion of scrambled eggs on the other side of the table, but the scarred skeleton ignored it. He really didn’t feel like eating anything.

After about ten minutes, Papyrus stood up and took care of his mug with swift and decisive gestures. When he turned around, he had a confident smile on his face - it seemed his Ambassador mask was firmly in place already.

“MAY I?”, he pointed at Edge’s tie with a quirked brow bone.

The other skeleton was almost done with his coffee but he suddenly lost all desire to finish it. With a tense nod, he set the mug on the counter beside him. “ **...alright.** ”

Only then Papyrus walked up to him close enough to be able to reach the tie. His long arms allowed him to stand in a respectable distance from his brother as he began untying the piece of clothing and fiddling with the two top buttons of Edge’s shirt.

“I ASKED YOU TO LOOK DECENT BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO _CHOKE_ YOURSELF WITH THAT, YOU KNOW?”, he chided in a half-joking tone as he did that.

Edge let out a sigh and managed to relax his shoulders a little. “ **I _literally_ can’t choke, Papyrus…**”, he grumbled lowly.

The Ambassador shook his head, a smile still in place. “I WAS BEING METAPHORICAL. IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THEM TO SEE MORE OF THE REAL YOU.”, he took off the tie and began tying a much looser knot on Edge’s neck. “TRYING TO KEEP UP ‘ _THE GOOD BOY_ ’ FACADE WON’T LOOK CONVINCING IN YOUR CASE.”

The scarred skeleton grimaced again and allowed his counterpart to fiddle with the tie and collar to make him look more… convincing? Whatever that meant.

Papyrus’ eye lights, unlike previously, shone brightly now. The dark circles under his eye sockets were still present but his posture and expression felt less strained and more relaxed than before.

“ **How are you so calm today?** ”, Edge asked quietly, unable to still the queasiness in his soul. “ **I… aren’t you worried? You really believe it will go that well?** ”

Papyrus smiled a little wider. “I’VE HAD SOME PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, BROTHER. I AM MERELY CONTROLLING MYSELF _BETTER_ IN A FAMILIAR SITUATION.”, he admitted honestly. “I AM STILL WORRIED… BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I CANNOT BELIEVE IT WILL BE ALRIGHT AT THE SAME TIME.”

Edge turned his head to look away from his counterpart. He couldn’t help but scowl a little at the thoughts that entered his already panicked mind. He should be happy that Papyrus treats his predicament as if he was any other monster to him - that would mean fewer chances to slip up or get emotional. But at the same time, he wished it was a little bigger deal for his counterpart. Just _a little_.

Unfortunately, Edge couldn’t keep his fucking mouth shut. “ **… but that’s the first time a family member has to go through that.** ”, he muttered in a tone that was too bitter for his tastes.

Papyrus’ hands stilled for a second but he was back at his task again. “I AM A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED.”, he spoke in a wry voice.

Edge didn’t answer and kept his eye lights away from his brother’s face. He felt how the slender hands finished their work with the tie around the slightly open collar of his shirt. It was somewhat easier to breathe - despite his previous comment about skeletons not being able to choke - but it still felt like a noose.

“I HOPED SANS WOULD TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT… WELL. I GUESS IT’S ON ME THEN.”, Papyrus continued in the same tone as he brushed off some dust off Edge’s shoulders.

The scarred skeleton looked at his counterpart with a surprised frown.

The Ambassador sighed. “WHEN WE FIRST APPROACHED THE HUMAN REPRESENTATIVES, NOBODY HAD SUCH LAW IN MIND.”, he said calmly but his eye lights seemed dimmer now. “WE WERE ON A QUICK PATH TO SIGN A TREATY AND START OUR SLOW WAY TOWARDS CO-EXISTING WITH THEM. BUT THEN…”, he hesitated for a moment before continuing in a softer tone. “... SANS ATTACKED A HUMAN.”

Edge’s brow bones shot up immediately as his mind was processing what he just heard. His tall brother stepped away from him and adjusted his own collar in a slightly nervous manner.

“HE DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING BAD IN MIND THEN… HE WAS PROTECTING OUR FRIEND, FRISK. OR AT LEAST, THAT’S WHAT HE _THOUGHT_ HE WAS DOING.”, Papyrus went on with the story, his smile soft but sad. “THE FIRST MONTHS ON THE SURFACE WERE VERY HARD ON HIM, SO WHEN HIS HUMAN FRIEND WAS ATTACKED, HE REACTED POORLY...”

The scarred skeleton blinked a few times before muttering. “ **He… used his _magic_ on that human’s soul…?** ”

“SADLY, YES.”, the Ambassador nodded solemnly. “AS FAR AS HE TOLD ME, HE WASN’T ENTIRELY IN CONTROL OF HIMSELF BACK THEN. HE DIDN’T ACTUALLY HURT THAT HUMAN AND HE KNEW HE MADE A MISTAKE. HE WAS VERY COOPERATIVE RIGHT AFTER BUT… IT WAS TOO LATE.”

Papyrus put his hands behind him in a practiced manner and looked Edge straight in the eye lights as he straightened up.

“BECAUSE OF THAT, THE HUMANS _DEMANDED_ AN ADDITION TO THE TREATY. THAT ONE LAW THAT IS CURRENTLY IN MOTION IN YOUR CASE, EDGE.”, his tone began to sound more formal.

Unable to say anything, Edge remained silent. He stared at his counterpart, still trying to process the whole thing that he was currently hearing.

“WE KNEW THIS TYPE OF MAGIC DOESN’T LEAVE ANY PHYSICAL MARKS AND ISN’T DANGEROUS FOR THE HUMANS THEMSELVES… BUT WE ALL, THE KING AND THE HUMAN REPRESENTATIVES TOO, AGREED THAT IT COULD… _TRAUMATIZE_ SOME OF THEM.”, Papyrus’ shoulders sagged and he looked away with something akin to guilt in his eye lights. “ESPECIALLY GIVEN HOW SERIOUS SOME OF THE HUMANS ARE WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR SOULS. RELIGIONS ARE A VITAL PART OF MANY SOCIETIES AFTER ALL.”

The Ambassador’s brow bones knit tightly in a pained expression as he continued.

“THERE WAS A TRIAL. AND SANS’ ACTION WAS DEEMED _UNJUSTIFIED_.”, his gaze was wandering somewhere on the tiled kitchen floor.

Before Edge managed to ask his question, it got answered.

“FORTUNATELY, THE HUMANS HAVE A RULE THAT SAYS THAT THE LAW ISN’T RETROACTIVE.” Papyrus looked at him again. ”WE USED SANS’ CASE AS A… REFERENCE OF SOME SORTS, FOR LATER INSTANCES. THIS IS WHY I BELIEVE IT WILL BE ALRIGHT.”

The scarred skeleton felt the weight of his counterpart’s hand on his own shoulder. “YOU DIDN’T ATTACK ANYBODY, EDGE. YOU CHOSE TOBY’S _SAFETY_ OVER _VIOLENCE_.”, Papyrus smiled at him widely. “I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW PROUD OF YOU I AM BECAUSE OF THAT.”

Edge’s tightly coiled soul suddenly filled with warmth at those words and he was forced to look away to somewhat hide his embarrassment. He was still very confused about the story he just heard - the bag of bones, despite his shitty behavior at times, never seemed to him as a person that could just snap and do something this reckless. Although, he wasn’t surprised that this Sans wasn’t too eager to share this secret with him. It was… shameful in a way. And perhaps could have easily pushed Edge towards another fit of fury.

On the other hand… he would feel a little better knowing that this law was placed with using this sort of magic as an attack in mind. He didn’t do a violence, so… he should be fine. He should be fine.

When the hand on his shoulder disappeared, Edge lifted his gaze to look at his brother. “ **What if…** ”

“EDGE.”, Papyrus interrupted him in a chiding tone. Despite this, his smile didn’t even waver.

The other skeleton shook his head. “ **Just _tell_ me what will happen to me if you’re wrong.** ”, Edge worried.

He stared at Papyrus long enough to notice how his counterpart’s resolve crumbled a little. The Ambassador looked away and the burden in his eyes hit Edge straight in his soul.

“You know I… I can’t.”, he answered.

It’s not like he expected Papyrus to tell him anyway. He knew that there are some things his counterpart wouldn’t ever share with him, no matter how close they could get as brothers. It was his job to keep the monsterkind safe and carry the burdens that came with it. It just… would be a little easier to know what horrible fate he was trying to avoid.

Knowing that this is the only answer he would get, Edge let out a sigh.

“ **If that happens…** ”, he spoke and immediately raised his hand to keep Papyrus from interrupting him. “ **I said ‘if’! _Shut up_.** ”, he huffed at him with annoyance. “ **Could you… can I ask _you_ to be the one to call ______? I know… all that shit hasn’t been easy on you and-** ”

Edge was too focused on getting his request across to ever anticipate that Papyrus would try to smack him on the head. He sputtered, utterly shocked at his counterpart’s behavior and raised his arms in a defensive manner. Not that what the Ambassador did actually hurt but it wasn’t pleasant either.

Papyrus backed away and lowered his hand as his serious expression turned into a gentle smile in a second. “I _AM_ RIGHT. AND YOU’RE GOING TO CALL YOUR HUMAN FRIEND YOURSELF. TODAY.”

“ ** _Why are you-_** ”, he raised his voice, getting annoyed with his brother’s swift change of attitude. Annoyed and slightly disturbed.

“ _EDGE_. IT WILL BE _FINE_.”, Papyrus pressed. “YOU’RE CALLING _____ TODAY AFTER WE’RE BACK HOME. DEAL?”

Edge scowled angrily and spat. “ ** _Fine!_** ”

“THAT’S MORE LIKE IT.”, the Ambassador grinned widely at him and motioned at the kitchen door. “COME ON. WE STILL HAVE TIME BUT WE’D BETTER ARRIVE EARLY.”

Reluctantly, the scarred skeleton stopped making angry faces at his counterpart and followed him. This whole bizarre exchange helped him a little to calm down and the familiar burn of rage deep in his soul quenched the fear for the time being. If that was what Papyrus aimed at with his talk and his fucking behavior, it worked. Fucking manipulative skeleton.

* * *

The irritation caused by Papyrus’ annoying behavior waned away halfway to the Department’s building. After sitting at home for such a long time, Edge felt uneasy to see how the familiar city was closer to winter than he remembered. All the trees were already bare, decorative flower patches were covered with protective sheets and most shops had already Christmas or Gyftmas decorations hanging in the windows. He was painfully aware how the world was still going despite him not being able to take part in that. It was... scary.

As they arrived at their destination, Edge felt his legs tremble a little. He knew that it was just another sign of his _weakness_ showing but he felt ashamed of that anyway and dug his phalanges deep into his femurs in an attempt to stop it. Papyrus parked at the back of the building and after the engine of his convertible got turned off, he promptly left the car.

Edge couldn’t move.

“BROTHER? WE’RE HERE.”, the Ambassador leaned inside the car as he opened the door on the passenger’s side.

The other skeleton took a shaky breath and uttered in a tiny voice. “ **I-I don’t want to go…** ”

A skeletal hand appeared in Edge’s field of view, encouraging and inviting. “I WILL BE THERE WITH YOU. DON’T WORRY.”

Slowly, as if covered in the thickest tar, he grabbed his counterpart arm near the elbow and with his help left the car. The car door closed right behind him with a bang and that indicated there was no turning back now. It was too late to change his mind and try to run or to do anything else.

The Monster-Human Affairs Department loomed over them as both skeletons entered the building through one of the back entrances and wandered deeper into the endless corridors filled with small offices and waiting rooms. Most of the people that they passed on their way politely greeted the Ambassador and glanced with careful curiosity at Edge. He started to feel very self-conscious under their gazes, no matter how well the tie and the shirt looked on him. He stuck to being Papyrus’ shadow and followed him through the building without even a word. Previously he would have scowled at everybody but now, he decided it would be best if he kept his expression neutral not to draw too much attention to himself.

At some point, the skeletons had to pass the main yard that looked almost dead with the leafless trees and bare bushes that were once so alive and green. As they re-entered the building, the familiar smell of fresh paint and human sweat engulfed them again. Edge started to feel nauseous again.

After another short walk, they reached the corridor that held the hearing rooms for various boards and committees. There were two guards at both ends of it, monster and human alike. The ones that the skeletons passed on their way nodded at them and resumed their duty of standing at their posts and looking serious.

Edge couldn’t help himself but look over his shoulder at one of the guards. An old habit of his kicked in as he assessed how much challenge would the human guard pose if he decided to take him on. He grimaced at himself and focused on following his counterpart further.

Because of their early arrival, they had to _wait_. Half an hour stretched to a full hour and Edge did his best not to go crazy during that time. He didn’t have anything to do so he focused on his Stupid List in hopes that thinking about weird shit to do in the future would calm him down. Papyrus occupied himself with a few important phone calls but he kept the conversations short and immediately came back to sit right next to his brother. Needless to say, both of them were at the ends of their wits when the door finally cracked open and they were called inside.

As they entered the room, a rough voice immediately squawked. “Please, gentlemen. Take your seats.”

Just like Papyrus told him, it wasn’t a huge courtroom that they often saw in the TV and that took a little edge off of the scarred skeleton’s soul. He was glad to see that the room was small, almost cozy, with some plants standing on the window sills and the colorful framed photos hanging on the walls.

There was a long wooden table in the middle, three seats on the opposite side already taken by a bird monster and two humans. Right behind them, there was another monster sitting in a corner, with a small typewriter in their slightly squirming tentacles.

Edge was the first one to choose his chair and he sat down, Papyrus followed.

“Before we begin…”, the monster judge said in his cracked voice as he turned his head slightly to glance at the back of the room. “Please note in the protocol that the perpetrator came by his own volition. And on time.”

The other judges nodded in agreement. And then his trial began.

He spoke when they wanted him to tell about the whole ordeal, or to clarify some points of the story, or to add more details of for one reason or another. During that Edge noticed that there was one human that wasn’t particularly fond of him and their questions were more loaded than the others'. The second human, a woman with gray hair, had a stern face and didn’t seem to be too happy about even being here.

Well… _fuck them both_.

He answered and _answered_ , question after _question_. Some were similar to the previous ones but he answered nonetheless. They were grilling him for what seemed to be an eternity and Papyrus could only sit beside him and interject only when said questions sidetracked from the reason they all gathered in that blasted room.

The typewriter was clicking all the time and stopped only when Edge was gathering his thoughts. It was odd in a way, to hear that sound start again only when he spoke - like a mocking echo of his own words, disrupting his train of thoughts a little every time he heard it. He knew he should be irritated because of that, but he didn’t feel a thing.

He was actually ready to fight with his own anger and try to resist the urge to flip the table like he used to do before. This time, however, there was nothing in his soul that was even remotely close to that proud rage. His magic barely buzzed in his bones as he answered anything they might have asked him, and his head seemed heavy to him as if he didn’t sleep two nights in a row. Throughout the whole questioning, Edge felt mostly… numb.

Had he given up already?

Edge was somewhat surprised to hear that the first part of the trial had ended and he was asked to wait outside for the Committee's decision. Papyrus helped him to get out of the daze by secretly touching his elbow and coaxing him to stand up and leave the room.

“THAT WENT EXTREMELY SMOOTH, BROTHER.”, the Ambassador said as the door closed behind them and they were able to sit on the benches in the corridor again. “THAT’S GOOD.”

Edge nodded slowly as he leaned forward and hung his head heavily. The numbness he felt was still there, muting any other emotions that might appear right now. He heard Papyrus fidget next to him and lean back to rest his tense back on the wall behind them.

“I’VE HEARD THAT YOUR FRIEND, TOBY, WAS HERE YESTERDAY.”, the tall skeleton said after a sigh. “HE SUPPOSEDLY GAVE THEM HIS PIECE OF MIND IN A RATHER FOUL LANGUAGE AFTER THEY ASKED HIM SOMETHING.”

Papyrus chuckled as he continued. “HE IS INDEED WAY MORE FEISTY THAN HE SEEMS.”

Edge knew that the small drummer was in this shit too and was supposed to answer a lot of questions again. It was… good to hear that he was more angry than scared of this whole ordeal. But the skeleton couldn’t muster anything more than another nod.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, closer to his neck. “ARE YOU… HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP?”, the other skeleton asked in a much softer tone.

When he didn’t answer, the Ambassador squeezed his shoulder a little. “EDGE?”

The scarred skeleton huffed and moved to shake the offending hand off of his body.

“ **I’m… I don’t know. Just…** ”, he waved his hand dismissively and leaned back to take a deep breath. It came out a little ragged and he needed to take another. “ **I’m _fine_.** ”

“OH.”, Papyrus hummed in worry and the other skeleton didn’t have to look at him to know he frowned. “ARE YOU GOING TO BE ALRIGHT WITHOUT ME FOR A MOMENT? I COULD BRING YOU SOME WATER OR TEA.”

Edge shook his head and looked away. It seemed like it didn’t matter to him what Papyrus did. “ **Whatever…** ”, he muttered.

“ALRIGHT. I WILL BE RIGHT BACK. YOU’RE DOING GREAT ALREADY, JUST KEEP AT IT.”, the Ambassador walked towards one of the corridor’s exits and turned immediately left as if he knew perfectly well where he was going.

Well, now that Papyrus left, he was beginning to feel much much worse. Edge could have gone with him, to stretch his legs and get his tense magic flowing again by that simple exercise. Or he could have asked him to stay, be his fucking anchor when he felt that the numbness in his soul was beginning to swallow him up whole from the inside. He was beginning to feel smothered by the feeling that the guards at the ends of the corridors were somehow watching him and the walls seemed to get closer and closer to him.

He remained on his spot though, with his skull tilted back and touching the wall in an ugly beige color. Edge tried to control his breathing and for the most part, he succeeded. Time passed by slowly and he focused on coping with his anxiousness one second at a time. It was alright after all. He was going to be alright.

Edge heard the clicking of high heels and an unfamiliar voice coming from the other end of the corridor but didn’t even move to look at the woman that was talking.

“Please, wait here for me, sir... Yes, right _there_.”, she instructed in a tone used to giving orders. “I need to bring one more file to the hearing.”

“Okay…”, another voice answered her. There was something in that voice that drew Edge’s attention but it wasn’t enough to actually make him turn his head and check it out.

What _made_ him look at the entrance to the corridor was a soft shocked gasp.

As Edge lowered his head and opened his eye sockets, his gaze landed on an oddly familiar figure of a human. It took him a moment to link the chubby face to a situation and he felt his magic start in his bones.

The weakest link, how Edge called him during that one fucking encounter, was standing not that far away from him. He almost didn’t recognize that man in his white buttoned up shirt that had already sweat stains around his armpits and his thin tie that seemed to be wrapped around his thick neck a little too tight.

The human was frozen in place for a moment, looking more nervous with every passing second. Edge wasn’t moving too, just staring at the human with surprise that currently outweighed the anger that he should be feeling.

Finally, the weakling (that seemed to wish to be anywhere but near the skeleton) took a few steps towards him. The human’s movements weren’t in any way threatening but that was enough for Edge to react in a shamefully defensive way - he stood up, with his hands already clenching into the fists. He was getting ready to fight even now, like an impulsive _idiot_ he was.

The human stopped in his tracks and cowered a little, his hands grabbing his tie in a helpless gesture. Only now Edge noticed that that guy was shorter compared to the tall skeleton monster. Much shorter than he actually remembered him.

“Uh… h-hey, man…”, the human began talking while trying to maintain eye contact with the skeleton. He was sweating as if it was the middle of the summer.

“This way, _sir_!”, a sharp tone of the same woman that left the guy alone in the corridor made them both jump a little.

With an aggressive click of her heels, she reached the other human that suddenly got paler.

Her manicured long nails dug a little in the guy’s arm as she grabbed him by the elbow. “I cannot allow you to talk to the _offender_ right before your part.”, she hissed.

The weakling only managed to cast a quick glance at Edge and mumble ‘ _sorry_ ’ under his breath before he got dragged towards another door.

The woman cast one last angry glare at the monster as she closed the door after her with a bang that was louder than necessary. The whole thing happened so quickly that the skeleton didn’t have the time to say anything.

Papyrus arrived only to see Edge standing in the middle of the corridor with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“SOMETHING HAPPENED?”, he asked while handing his brother a bottle of water.

Edge turned his head to look at him. “ **One of them is here**.”, he said in a slightly hoarse voice.

The Ambassador frowned and he lowered his own bottle that was already halfway to his teeth. “WHAT DO YOU… ONE OF THE _ATTACKERS_?”

Edge nodded.

“I… I WASN’T INFORMED OF THAT DEVELOPMENT…”, the other skeleton admitted in a flat tone.

Papyrus’ shocked expression was everything that Edge needed to actually feel again. It wasn’t a pleasant experience as a cold dread flooded his soul instantly and he clenched his hands on the bottle he was holding. He felt his bones shake a little but he didn’t allow his thoughts to spiral into a panic just yet.

The human approached him willingly, that was a fact. He wouldn’t do that if he was planning to make things harder on Edge, right? Or at least… he would be smug about that. Edge could recognize an asshole’s behavior when he saw it. He would know. He was one.

He apologized. Was that for attacking him... or for what he was going to do right now?

“ **... fuck.** ”, Edge swore softly and sat back down on the bench. He did it with so much force the seat creaked under him and the sound echoed in the corridor.

Papyrus, instead of saying anything or trying to deal with the situation in any other way, sat right next to him, close enough to touch him shoulder to shoulder and knee to knee. A deep sigh that escaped his counterpart was a clear indicator that the whole situation was currently out of their control.

The only thing left was to wait.

* * *

When they were called into the room again, Edge barely felt his legs. He knew he walked just fine when he didn’t focus on actually moving his bones so he followed his brother’s lead and entered the room. They both remained standing though and the Ambassador kept his hand firmly on the other skeleton’s back.

The judges seemed both tired and bored with the day as they slowly gathered the documents that managed to pile up during the whole session. Edge noticed there were photos of his damaged bones as well as some x-rays of much smaller limbs among the various papers filled with medical notes. The human that seemed to dislike Edge from the very beginning stood up with a smooth piece of paper in their hand. The skeleton felt the wave of nausea come back and honestly, hoped his knees wouldn’t give in under his weight right fucking now.

“After reviewing the collected evidence and listening to the witnesses’ testimonies and culprit’s confessions…”, they started reading in the same passive-aggressive tone like before as the monster behind them swiftly typed every word. “The Inquiry Committee for Monster’s Abuse of Magic hereby declares that actions of Edge the Skeleton, present here today as the magic abuse perpetrator, are recognized as…”

The pause here was made on purpose and Edge felt his soul tremble anxiously.

“... _justified_.”, the human judge finished the sentence with a dissatisfied grimace on their face.

Papyrus’ hand left his counterpart’s his back and landed immediately on his shoulder just to squeeze it almost painfully. The meaning of those words hit Edge too as his soul seemed to both flutter like crazy and drop to the floor at the same time.

They cleared their throat and continued. “The situation that led to the magic abuse had hallmarks of a life-threatening _emergency_ and the magic use was essential in preserving a human life.”

They said it’s justified. It was _justified_. He was _free_.

“That said, mister Skeleton…”, the human’s voice got colder and dropped the formal tone entirely. “I _advise_ you to refrain from using this kind of magic in the future as it’s a _direct_ violation of the Human-Monster Treaty. We _all_ know you are prone to rash actions and...”

Papyrus was already between the skeleton and the obnoxious human.

“AND _I_ ADVISE _YOU_ , MY WONDERFUL AND SMART COLLEAGUE…”, the Ambassador’s voice sounded very cheerful and giddy but there was a dangerous edge to every word he said. “TO _FINALLY_ TAKE ACTIONS TO PUNISH THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE _SAME_ TREATY ON _YOUR_ SIDE THAT ACTUALLY CAUSED THIS WHOLE MESS.”

The other people in the room fidgeted nervously and the monster in the back wrapped all of their tentacles around the typewriter when the tall skeleton took a slow step forward. The human leaned backward on reflex and covered their chest with the piece of paper they held. From where Edge was standing, he didn't see his counterpart's face... but he was actually glad about that fact.

“AS I WAS _BELATEDLY_ INFORMED, YOU HAVE _FINALLY_ FOUND ONE OF THE HUMANS RESPONSIBLE.”, Papyrus' voice was still the same. Leveled, polite and pleasant. But the room seemed to be much colder for some reason. “IT WOULD BE _VERY_ APPROPRIATE OF YOU TO TAKE CARE OF THAT ISSUE WITH AS MUCH EAGERNESS AND DEVOTION AS YOU DEDICATED TO THIS CASE.”

With those words, Papyrus wrapped his arm around his brother’s elbow and tugged him gently towards the door. “I WISH YOU ALL EASY WORK AND HAPPY UPCOMING GYFTMAS. HAVE A GOOD DAY.”

Edge’s legs felt like made from jello but he managed not to stumble on the doorstep as he gave a curt nod to the people inside the room. He let Papyrus drag him away from the corridor and idly listened to the polite ‘goodbyes’ he exchanged with the guards. After a few turns, he finally managed to snap out of it and pulled his arm out of Papyrus’ grip.

Just as he wanted to say something, he noticed the familiar sweaty person shuffling towards the door to the main yard. With a frown, Edge bypassed his counterpart and followed the human down the corridor.

“BROTHER…?”, the surprise in Papyrus’ voice rang clear in the air. He heard that the Ambassador walked right after him.

The sweaty guy was about to touch the handle when a bony hand grabbed the wing of the heavy double door and held it in place. He jumped nervously and turned around just in time to face the scowling skeleton that was looming over him. Edge felt his counterpart’s presence behind him but ignored it. All of his focus was on the human.

He stared at the chubby face as he spoke calmly. “ **What is your name, human?** ”

The man took a few breaths before he was able to stutter a short response. “J-Jim…”

“ **Jim**.”, the scarred skeleton repeated that name to make it easier to remember it and let go of the door. He backed away a little to give the human some space and maybe make him a little less afraid of that encounter. Right after that, he extended his hand towards him.

“ **Thank you, Jim**.”, Edge said curtly.

After a second of a stunned gaping, the human collected himself and smiled nervously. “Uh… s-sure…”, he mumbled as he accepted Edge’s hand and squeezed it shakily.

Humans were still disgusting, the skeleton concluded in his mind as he felt the man’s sweaty hand in his. He didn’t wipe his phalanges on his trousers until he was sure the man was gone. And then he followed Papyrus to the car.

* * *

As they sat in the convertible, the whole tension and stress seemed to finally leave them both. Edge leaned back as far as he could and allowed his ass to slide to the edge of his seat while staring at the sky through his left hand’s phalanges. His breath hitched a little but he didn’t allow himself to break down. Papyrus, sitting in the driver’s seat again, heavily face planted on the steering wheel somehow avoiding hitting the horn. His arms hung loosely and probably touched the car mat.

Almost simultaneously, they both let out deep shaky sighs of relief. They remained in their odd poses for a while, just breathing and letting the outcome of the trial sink in. It was over. It was finally fucking _over_.

Edge shifted a little and tiredly looked at his counterpart. “ **So… maybe a drink is in order?** ”, he asked with a small smirk tugging on his permanent scowl.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD, _YES_.”, Papyrus groaned and using both of his hands he pushed himself away from the wheel. “GRILLBY’S?”

“ **Grillby’s**.”, the other skeleton nodded as he pulled out his phone and chose his brother’s number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I delivered what you wanted from that chapter and then some! I'm always eager to hear what you think about my story so feel free to leave a comment!
> 
> Additionally, I have a question for all of you!
> 
> If you were in Reader's shoes, how would you feel if Edge told you about the whole situation just as it ended? Angry? Relieved? Hurt? I know we all sit in his head and know what he's thinking... but from Reader's point of view - what could be the reason Edge waited so long? Share your ideas with me here or (if you're shy) on anon on my blog! 
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic. Skellies and author answer asks and have fun. There's also fanart tag and I strongly encourage you to leave some love to all the people that did something for me!


	31. Clear Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fallout after the trial has some casualties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the break I needed to shake the tension of the trial off of me, I bring you this!  
> The beginning of shenanigans, fluff, and other non-angsty stuff. A little drama incoming too, but for a while, it will be all sunshine and rainbows, my beautiful readers! 
> 
> New arc starts now!!!
> 
> The inspiration for this chapter is brought by the anon that was worried about me and [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx1jpBpSExI). Thank you, dearie.

If Edge could make a list of bad decisions he made on the Surface, joining you on a video call while being inebriated would find its place there. However, deciding that this was the best opportunity to tell you about the trial and everything that was directly connected to this would be at least in the _top five_.

That sobering thought hit him the moment he saw your smile falter. But it was already too late to back away from that, the worst part of that truth was already out - he didn’t tell you about something so important. Although he knew now this was a very bad idea, he pushed forward, determined to finish the story and deal with the consequences.

He was idly holding a glass of water that was supposed to help him with his state but forgot about it very quickly, focused entirely on you and your shifting expression. Every small grimace, every frown or heavier breath attracted his attention so fiercely nothing else around him mattered. You weren’t happy, that was for sure. Edge was ready for that, he was under no illusion you would take this in stride. That didn’t make it any easier though.

“ **... I’m not sure what he told them... or _why_ he came anyway.**”, he spoke in an even tone, recalling the presence of one of the attackers in the Department. “ **Perhaps whatever he did had no influence on the outcome. I’m... I don’t think I want to know. It’s behind me... behind us. That’s... all I wanted to tell you.** ”

You were silent and motionless for a long while, long enough to make him think there was something wrong with the connection. Your heavy sigh quickly proved that this wasn’t the case.

“So... _this_ was that monster business.”, your voice was soft as you looked down at your lap. This wasn’t a question.

Edge answered anyway. “ **Yes... that... that was it.** ” He watched you fiddle with the sleeves of your blouse in silence before speaking up again. “ **I’m... sorry I didn’t tell you... I _should_ have.**”

When your eyes looked up again, staring straight through him and through his very soul, he couldn’t stand it. His eye lights snapped quickly away from the screen and focused on the glass in his hands. He was close to spilling his water so he tipped the glass the other way to avoid it.

“What... what would happen if they...”, you didn’t finish your thought when your throat refused to cooperate but there was no need. He _knew_ what you meant.

The alcohol was still buzzing in his skull but the sound of your voice repeating in his mind was louder than that. Even if somebody screamed right next to him he would hear the heavy echo of it in his head. He was sure it was going to haunt him no matter what would happen to his relationship with you now.

With a sigh, Edge rubbed his face with his free hand, still avoiding your gaze. “ **I-I... don’t know... Papyrus isn’t allowed to tell. Nothing good.** ”

“And you just...”, your voice was breaking again but after a deep breath, you managed to speak more evenly. “And I wouldn’t know what’s going on?”

Edge shook his head and cast a glance at the screen to see you. His soul felt even heavier when he noticed how close to the screen you were, staring at him with such heart-broken eyes. “ **No. I... I asked Papyrus to tell you everything.** ”, he mumbled and just as those words were spoken he felt how _wrong_ they were. Stars, he was such an idiot.

“ _Papyrus_ -?!”, your voice raised a little here but he heard you take a few more breaths.

The silence fell right after that and Edge didn’t have anything even remotely correct to say, so he kept his jaw shut.

“Okay... okay...”, you breathed. “Alright. I’m... that’s _good_ , right? They can fuck off and can’t touch you now, yeah?”

“ **Yes. The whole shit is over, they can’t do anything about this particular case now. The... the whole Department is now busy with accusing those... those humans for the attack.** ”, noticing he was currently unable to drink at all, Edge put the glass away, a fair distance from his new computer.

Another silent minute passed as you were processing everything he said. All he could do was to patiently wait for what you wanted to say next. At least he was sure you wouldn’t beat around the bush if you were too mad at him to talk now. He just hoped that wasn’t the case...

“I... I have two questions.”, your words attracted his attention again and he leaned towards the screen.

“ ** _Anything_**.”, he blurted out eagerly but he was too focused on appeasing you in any way to be bothered by how pathetic that was.

You bit your lip for a moment before asking. “Why... why didn’t you tell me sooner? I mean... you know...”

The fact that Edge expected to hear this question and mulled over it before he even called you didn’t help him voice his thoughts. Of course, the _right_ thing to say would be that he was trying to spare your feelings and not to worry you too much with something you couldn’t change. Especially knowing how helpless you felt about your father’s death... and all the idle waiting for the whole thing to end. It was vain and self-centered to think that his disappearance could have such an impact on you but he knew deep down that it would be a blow for you nonetheless.

But you deserved the _truth_. And he was dead set on giving it to you.

“ **I was... _selfish_.** ”, he spoke slowly, making sure he picked correct words to voice what he was actually feeling. “ **The whole thing was _too much_ for me. I could barely stand my brothers behaving like I was already... standing in the line at the gallows, while they were pretending it was all ok. I was... _angry_ at them. And scared. I-I...**”

He wrapped his arms around himself loosely and looked away. “ **I didn’t want to deal with you being worried too. I just... wanted some semblance of normal life, even if those were my last days here. Or whatever.** ”, his brow bones knit tightly as he continued. “ **I... wanted to spend time with you... just you. I didn’t want it to be overshadowed by... by all this shit.** ”

“I... well... this _is_ complicated but...”, you said and Edge noticed your voice calmed down. “I wish you told me, you know?”

“ **I know...** ”, he hung his head. “ **I know you’re mad at me...** **That’s fine. I** **fucked up. I know.** ”

“Yeah... a little...”, you muttered. “Maybe not _mad_ but... uh... certainly upset?”

He nodded at your words, feeling tense even after what you said. Despite the alcohol that was still present in his body, he was still as nervous as he would be when sober. Apparently, there were other disadvantages of being able to hold his liquor than just the cost.

“ **What... what’s the other question?** ”, he asked tentatively.

“Right.”, he heard you sigh and your tone shifted into much a gentler one. “How are you? Like... for _real_ now.”

The skeleton couldn’t help himself but chuckle nervously. You caught him by surprise with that question, something you did often, especially when the topics you both delved into were more serious.

“ **I’m... still... not there yet?** ”, he admitted with a small smile and looked at you again. “ **I think I need some time to feel that... that it’s over. I’m still processing everything. It was... a wild ride.** ”

You smiled too, though it was still stained with hurt and worry. “I can only imagine... _God_. Fuck those guys!”

Another short chuckle bubbled in his chest at how fierce you sounded now. You _were_ mad at them before but the knowledge what really took place and how annoyingly complicated everything got made your tone feel even more rightfully pissed. Again, despite still feeling tense over how he upset you, there was a warmth shyly creeping up into his soul.

“ **My thoughts exactly.** ”, Edge said with a relieved sigh.

You leaned to the side to grab something and reappeared on the screen with a little less hurt expression. He would welcome any change of the subject - there was nothing more he could say to make all of this go away. There was a lot he could _do_ though. Later.

“Say... I took the tape with me here when I packed.”, you waved at him with the small camera tape. “I was going to delete that last part so nobody would accidentally see it, you know.”

“ **... Oh?** ”, was all Edge could utter. He still refused to think about that horrible footage and the fact that you saw it. As far as he was concerned, that extremely undignifying part of his life had never happened.

“Yeah.”, you put the tape next to your elbow. “I kinda don’t want to? I know it’s... you said some nice stuff about me there. Don’t worry, I’m gonna erase everything I just wanted to... see it. Again.”, you cleared your throat and looked away. “A few times.”

Not entirely sure what could be the correct answer to that, Edge opened and closed his jaw twice before finally saying something remotely coherent. “ **I... I can record some... nice stuff if you want it _that_ badly.**”, he suggested in a dumb tone. That would make you get rid of that recording faster, right?

You perked up immediately and that beautiful glint in your eyes was back, filling Edge’s soul with a wave of relief.

“ _You would?!_ ”, you asked with a thrilled gasp.

The skeleton huffed in amusement. “ **Yes...** ”, he said with a smirk. “ **Something along ‘ _Humans are disgusting, but you disgust me less, ________._ ’ How about that?**”

Your laughter rang from his computer’s speakers and somehow his dark room felt much brighter and warmer because of that.

“Awwww. That’s the _nicest_ thing anybody has ever said to me!”, your wide grin filled the screen.

Edge didn’t try to suppress his chuckle this time.

* * *

He spent a big chunk of the night talking with you over the video chat and even watching a short movie with you. The certainty that you weren’t as angry at him as he feared needed time to sink in and only then he was able to feel the exhaustion of the long day catch up to him. Still, he was reluctant to disconnect from the call.

When he woke up, his groggy mind unhappily registered it was _way_ past noon. Despite those hours of sleep he still felt like shit - both emotionally and physically. Good thing he drank a lot of water before going to sleep and managed to down a late night snack. That certainly helped him with the hangover which was barely noticeable for him now.

Knowing well enough that lying in bed wouldn’t make him feel any better, Edge got up and started putting some clothes on - this time picking a slightly better attire. He spent some time fighting for a sock with Doomfanger and despite not needing that particular one, he indulged his small beast for a few minutes. It’s been a while since he had time to just play with her without any dark distractions looming over his head. Just like his other friends, she deserved his attention too.

Staying at home today was out of the question as it would drive him utterly crazy. He was sick of those four walls that for these past few weeks turned into a prison for him. The rest of the household was planning to take it easy today and maybe tomorrow too, but Edge had plans for the evening already and hoped to do one more thing before that time arrives.

As he descended the stairs, he noticed that the other skeletons were already up. All three of them occupied the couch in the living room in a quite amusing arrangement. While Papyrus was sprawled across the cushions and his bare feet were dangling over the right armrest, the other two skeletons were sitting... _on_ him. The lazybones seemed asleep with his head lolled slightly to the side and eye sockets closed shut. Sans, however, was wide awake and focused on the cartoon that was playing on the TV.

“ **Heya, bro.** ”, he turned to greet Edge, clearly in a chipper mood.

“Edge... _help_ me.”, the tall skeleton that was trapped under two boney asses waved his free hand at him in a hopeless manner. His voice was weak and it immediately reminded Edge how lightweight Papyrus was. The hangover was probably still buzzing in his skull.

The scarred skeleton walked up to the couch and leaned to the side to look at his counterpart’s suffering face. “ **Good morning to you too.** ”, he said with a smirk.

Papyrus wasn’t a weak monster. Probably without a headache and the toll of overburdening himself those past days he would easily free himself from this predicament. But this time his exhaustion and other ailments made him unable to fight the combined weight of stubbornness and brotherly love. All he could do was cast a pleading gaze at Edge in vain hopes he would free him.

Sans gave Papyrus' broad back a soft pat and his golden tooth glistened in a sly grin. “ **There there, ya _lunatic_. Ya have three days off, remember?** ”

“I want to... to _do_ things!”, Papyrus protested and squirmed a little. “I cannot spend my vacation just lying around all day...”

“sure you can, bro. that’s why it’s called a ‘sick leave’.”, the bag of bones said in his usual easy-going tone. “look at me, it’s totally possible.”

His voice attracted Edge’s attention as he straightened himself and took in the scene in front of him. The other small skeleton looked overall better. He didn’t seem to be suffering the same fate as his hungover brother but that was to be expected - he fell asleep two hours into the celebration they held in Grillby’s Bar. Perhaps Edge should talk to him soon... ish. He had a lot of things he wanted to do, or at least to start doing, and to be honest, this Sans wasn’t high on his list.

“I am _not_ going to follow your example, Sans!”, the tall skeleton wriggled some more, causing the sleepy skeleton to grunt. “Edge... _say_ something. Don’t leave me here.”

“ **You’d better listen to them...** ”, the scarred skeleton prepped his hands on his hip bones in a gesture that resembled Papyrus’ ‘ _slightly annoyed stance_ ’. “ **... or I will sit on you too. There’s still some space on that numb skull of yours.** ”

Papyrus groaned and pressed his face into the cushion. “You’re no help. I disown you...”, he mumbled, defeated by the majority.

The smaller skeletons chuckled and since the tall skeleton stopped wriggling under them, both took it as a sign to settle comfortably once again. The cartoon was still on after all.

Shaking his head with a small smile on his face, Edge left the living room and headed for the shoe rack to start getting ready to leave.

“ **Ya headin’ out already? There’s still like three hours.** ”, he heard his brother’s voice.

Edge divided his attention between glancing at the small skull sticking over the couch’s backrest and tying the shoelaces. “ **I want to get some air first. It’s been a while.** ”, he responded.

The other skeleton gave him an understanding nod. “ **Sure, bro. See ya later then.** ”, he simply said and resumed watching TV.

Shortly after, Edge left.

Upon entering the garage he was pleasantly surprised to see that his motorcycle was covered with a protective sheet. Apparently, one of the skeletons took care of it while he was under the house arrest. Edge didn’t feel like even coming close to his vehicle back then, in fear he would have an urge to bail - not that he thought he would succumb to it but... he didn’t want to know this about himself.

He removed the sheet and folded it neatly before checking whether there was any need for maintenance. Fortunately, everything seemed to be in order and there was still about half of the tank full of gas, so after putting his helmet on, Edge was already on his way.

As soon as he left the rows of small houses and narrow streets, he accelerated to feel the familiar rush. It’s been a while since he had a chance to ride his motorcycle freely and he missed the speed and the feeling of a loud engine revving underneath him. Chilly air sneaked past the seams of his leather jacket, reminding him that the winter was getting closer and soon he would have to switch to thicker coats and scarves.

For now, he welcomed the cold with the same enthusiasm as the roar of the metal beast he rode. If there was any moment he could feel in his bones how really _free_ he was, it was with the cool wind smacking his body, tugging on his sleeves and seeping deep under the layers of his clothes. It was almost as if the speed was enough to strip away the last bits of tension that were still lodged in his soul.

Finally, he felt _good_.

Edge didn’t focus on the sights around him, perfectly content with the fact that they all were only a colorful blur to him. Still, he chose a much longer route to the Mt. Ebott, just for the sake of riding on the highway and filling his non-existent ears with the soothing roar of the engine. All too soon, he needed to slow down as he was approaching the foot of the mountain looming over the city and the road got full of sharp twists and turns. He already was feeling the odd atmosphere surrounding the entrance to the Underground - echoes of powerful magic still lingered among the stones and trees, seeping straight into his bones and reaching his soul.

Just as he expected, there was nobody around. He turned off the engine, making the silence around the mountain feel deafening, and he dismounted his motorcycle. Slowly, he took off his helmet and left it hanging on the handle. The cold air breezed against his bare skull which encouraged Edge to take a deep breath. The dark and heavy atmosphere around this place never bothered him and this time was no different - abandoned places always seemed so peaceful to him. Feeling more relaxed than he did for the past weeks, he decided to take a short hike.

The gravel-filled path scrunched under his heavy boots as he walked in an even pace towards the Door. From where he parked, the entrance to the Underground didn’t seem that impressive but he was already aware of how huge it really was. Soon he had to tilt his head back to be able to see the runes adorning the arch above the two stone wings. He stopped at arm’s length to the Door and slowly placed his bony hand on the cold surface.

His thumb traced the letters carved deep into the stone - names of the monsters that died in the Underground. A grim memento consisting of rows and rows of names, filling both wings from top to bottom. Edge knew or vaguely remembered some but most of them were absolutely unfamiliar. At this point, his thoughts began to wander.

He wondered how many names would there be on the door in his own world. Probably more, if anybody was keeping a record. The skeleton was hoping that the monsters from where he came from were free too - this particular thought always felt comforting. Perhaps even the same memorial was built, with the same idea behind it. Wasn’t that how alternate universes worked?

He pushed away from the Door and took a few steps back to admire the stonework - it looked just like the door to the Ruins he sometimes saw during his sentry duties but felt more... important. It closed on the _dark_ past and opened to the _brighter_ future. There was a shy thought in his mind that perhaps his and his brother’s names would be somewhere there too if his world's monsters ever managed to get out.

It was... weird how the whole trial shitstorm made him think about his life. Not in a bad way, though it sometimes was a little depressing. Was he really too far gone to change for the better and only something this big could make him turn around? He would probably never know and he knew that was for the best. He learned that the hard way - by seeing Papyrus and the other Sans every day. Now... he was just glad he was unlucky enough to go through this shit but the universe didn’t hate him enough to push him towards the worst outcome. If he needed a sign to get his shit together, he couldn’t have asked for a clearer one. He promised himself that he was going to do better and that was exactly what he was planning to do.

_Be better._

His gaze lingered on the engraved stone for a while, reading the names in no particular order and for no reason. With a slow and calm sigh, he started walking back to his motorcycle. He turned around once, just to cast one last wistful look at the Door embedded into the mountain.

Soon, he was back on his motorcycle, heading back to the city.

* * *

It was the first time he visited this part of the town - the district was mostly human but he was pleased to see a monster or two on his way. It was uplifting to see that after all that had happened between those two races, they were still able to cooperate and live next to each other. Edge knew it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows but there was no reason to delve into pessimism right now. Especially if he decided to risk it and arrive on his motorcycle. A few months back he would have a soul attack on a mere thought of leaving his precious vehicle among humans.

Actually living your life put things in perspective, so it seemed.

With the directions he received, it wasn’t hard to locate the proper apartment building. He parked his motorcycle next to another one - it was smaller and familiar - and made his way towards the door to the staircase. Obviously, he ignored the elevator and chose to take the stairs instead. It was just the 8th floor after all and Edge still refused to get locked in that moving contraption for the sake of laziness.

He knocked on the door well aware he was still about half an hour earlier but something in him didn’t allow him to take a much longer route or to wait for the proper time to arrive. _Fuck it_. He wasn’t going to waste the time he received from the merciful universe this time. Getting out of his Underground and his world should be a very clear wake-up call and he was not going to ignore the second one he got smacked on the head with.

Soon, he was welcomed by a broad smile on Damien’s face as the bassist moved to the side to let him in.

“You’re early.”, the human pointed out the obvious with a slightly surprised tone.

Edge rolled his eye lights as he entered the narrow hallway and pulled a neat envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket. He handed it to Damien with an awkward grimace on his face - he knew very well there was no need for that but he would feel odd coming here with empty hands.

“ **Happy birthday, asshole.** ”, he said, his tone far from insulting. It was good to see the bassist again, even if Edge wouldn’t dare to say that out loud.

The human took the envelope and after casting a suspicious glance at the skeleton’s uncomfortable expression, he opened it to find a simple birthday card. It was honestly a pain in the coccyx to find something that wasn’t shiny, covered in glitter or filled with stupid cartoony drawings but he managed to get the last plain one in the store. He still needed time to figure out this human’s preferences when it came to the stupid shit like that... and he had a reputation to uphold.

“ ** _What?_** ”, he barked when Damien didn’t say anything after reading the few lines Edge bothered to write inside.

The bassist huffed in amusement. “It’s _good_ to see you, man.”, he responded and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Edge bristled at this and looked away in embarrassment. Apparently, he overdid it with the card. “ **Whatever. Fuck off.** ”

“ _Edge!_ ”, a familiar voice coming from the depths of the apartment saved him.

Damien, as if perfectly aware of what was going to happen, took a step away from the skeleton. His timing was near perfect as a second later Toby dashed from the other room and almost crashed into the skeleton. Only Edge’s fast reflexes saved him from tripping over the shoes standing on his way and landing face first on the hard sternum.

This save quickly turned into a very tight hug that - to Edge’s discomfort - wrapped tiny arms around his spine. The skeleton tried to pry the small human away from himself but stopped when he heard a low sniffle. The situation couldn’t get _more_ awkward than this but thankfully the bassist wasn’t that dense and left them alone as soon as he registered what was going on.

Edge allowed himself to sigh deeply at that display of feelings, not entirely sure how to properly react. He was aware this whole mess was hard for Toby (especially if that small idiot still blamed himself for it) but only now he realized how bad it would be if the trial ended not in his favor. Since _when_ did his life start to make such an impact on so many people?

“ **Everything is fine, drum boy.** ”, he muttered finally and placed his big hand on Toby’s head.

He felt how the small human tightened his embrace for a moment, probably as an answer to those words. There was another soft sniffle coming from Toby as he pressed his crying face to Edge’s shirt.

God, humans were so disgusting. But... this time that thought was fond, not disgruntled. He couldn’t help himself but smile a little as he gently ruffled the black hair.

“I... I’m not... cry-crying...”, Toby mumbled into his shirt, still not letting go.

Edge scoffed with amusement. “ **I know. It’s allergy.** ”

The small human nodded and hummed in agreement. After a silent while, the realization of how awkward this situation was finally reached him - if his red ears were any indication. He unwrapped his arms from around Edge and used the hem of his t-shirt to hastily wipe his face.

“ **My brother is coming later.** ”, the skeleton, still feeling the tickling remnant of the boy’s hair on his hand, decided to fill the uncomfortable silence with anything. “ **He missed you too.** ”

“Um... oh.”, was the only coherent answer he got but the red blush on Toby’s face was more than enough.

“You guys ready?”, Damien’s voice rang from the other room. “Let’s get started!”

Both the skeleton and the small human turned to look at the one hand sticking from behind the wall and waving at them with a wireless gamepad. It was all the invitation Edge needed. He placed his big hand on Toby’s back and pushed him gently toward the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-dah! Short and sweet!
> 
> QUESTION TIME~!  
> What do you think Edge should get his friends, family, and crush for Gyftmas? That particular holiday is fast approaching in the fic! 
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic. Skellies and author answer asks and have fun. There's also fanart tag and I strongly encourage you to leave some love to all the people that did something for me!


	32. Wind of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let’s. Go. SHOPPING!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this? A chapter? So soon? How?  
> Well... It seems like I went crazy and just wrote a whole big ass chapter in under a week. Don't get used to it, it's probably a one-time craziness but I'm very proud of myself for doing this!  
> Now... this is a chapter where we clearly see what's the next arc going to be about. Stuff's changing!
> 
> Enjoy!

“ **So... where are we goin’?** ”, Sans asked for the third time since they left the city. And that happened _five minutes ago_.

Edge let out an exasperated huff but still was able to rein in his anger. “ **Somewhere.** ”, he responded flatly.

The moment he started having second thoughts about this trip was getting closer with every irritating question asked. Waking Sans up in the morning on his day off was enough to make the small skeleton very grumpy and _nothing_ could save Edge from the big brother treatment now. He was aware that this behavior was invoked by a very rude and early awakening his brother must have suffered through. But it couldn’t be helped - Edge wanted to arrive there on time. Good thing was that the curiosity pushed Sans to actually crawl out of the bed and get into the car in a timely manner, as his younger brother very rarely asked him to do anything together.

“ **But where is that somewhere?** ”, the other skeleton asked with a grin that failed to look like a pout about a second ago.

“ **You’ll see.** ”, Edge said and squeezed the wheel a little harder.

Taking Papyrus or even the lazybones along would probably make this surprise trip much easier on him - both would appreciate the idea behind it and treat it as a celebratory outing for them all. However, Edge wanted it to be just the two of them, doing something together for fun. Maybe bonding a little... or whatever. That was the _original_ thought behind this trip.

The only thing Edge was thinking about _now_ was turning around and _kicking_ Sans out of the car and straight onto their driveway. The curiosity saving him from his brother’s full shitty behavior ended. As soon as he was sure he’s not going to learn what’s their destination, he started being unbearable. Edge expected that but apparently the fact that they drifted apart while being on the Surface made him forget how _utterly infuriating_ his brother could be.

“ **But-** ”, as the smile on the smaller skeleton’s face widened, Edge felt that he had very little patience left.

“ ** _Sans..._** ”, the taller skeleton barked in a warning tone and kept his focus on the road.

The long few seconds of silence were almost as annoying as the questions. It could a harbinger of something much worse...

“ **What, no ‘shithead’?** ”, the other sounded slightly surprised. “ **... ‘Mongrel’? ‘Dumbass’? Nothin’?** ”

Edge turned his head slightly to cast a glance at his brother’s frowning face and forced his hands to relax. He was squeezing the wheel a little too hard and if he returned the car damaged in any way, Papyrus wouldn’t be that eager to lend it to him anytime soon.

He mulled over the answer for a while, torn between picking an insult and remaining silent instead of speaking his mind. Something told him he shouldn't keep his motivations from Sans if he wanted anything to work between them... which didn’t mean he was happy about that.

“ **... I don’t want to be an asshole anymore.** ”, he grumbled truthfully as he drove straight towards the highway.

The atmosphere in the car shifted into a heavier and more serious one. There was still annoyance lingering in his soul but at the same time, he stopped feeling the need to act on it.

“ **Bro... that’s... it’s fine.** ”, Sans spoke after a while. The tall skeleton was too focused on keeping his eyes on the road to see his expression but hearing the tone was enough for him to know his brother’s attitude drastically changed. “ **I know when ya mean it and when it’s just... yer way of behavin’. I’ve been around ya since ya were a lil shit, right?** ”

It was his turn to remain silent to gather his own thoughts. He tried to come up with proper words to finally describe that nagging feeling he had around all the people that seemed to care about him, however, he wasn’t able to find any that did it justice.

“ **... But I don’t _feel_ it.**”, he admitted softly. “ **I feel like...** ”

The hum of the car’s engine filled his proverbial ears as he didn’t continue. There was no word or phrase that could help him now. Especially if he wasn’t exactly sure _what_ he wanted to express.

For a brief moment, Edge felt a tentative touch on his elbow, but when he glanced at his brother the small hand was already stuffed deep into the jacket’s pocket.

“ **... ‘s ok.** ”, Sans mumbled while turning his head and staring out the window.

All Edge could do now was to grimace. Not only wasn't he able to say what he had on his mind but also made the journey turn sour and awkward.

His brother huffed in amusement a minute later. “ **Ya got unbearably _sweet_ even before that shitstorm, bro. Even if ya don’t see it yerself.**”

“ **Shut up...** ”, Edge blurted out feeling how this short jab made his cheekbones get warmer.

“ **Seriously**.”, the small skeleton’s tone sounded lighter. “ **I might get _cavities_. I like my teeth the way they are, don’t need another golden one.** ”

The indignant scoff was the only response the tall skeleton mustered. It was to be expected Sans would try to turn an awkward situation into a joke. Some part of him was glad that his brother used humor to ease the tension and walk around more touchy subjects but on the other hand, he wished he could actually talk to him about something more profound without bailing when the topic got too deep. Perhaps sometime in the future... if they ever fix whatever they have with each other.

“ **Ya _know_ bein’ an ass ain’t a crime, right?**”, Sans fidgeted on his seat and prepped one of his legs on the dashboard on his side.

The vision of displeased Papyrus immediately filled his thoughts and Edge reached towards his brother to smack him on the knee. The smaller skeleton chuckled like an ass he was and quickly obeyed that nonverbal argument. He settled on putting his dirty shoe on the opposite knee.

“ **I know that.** ”, Edge responded to his previous words. “ **I just... promised myself I’ll be...** ”, he struggled with the last word but finally was only able to utter: “ **... nicer.** ”

“ **Awwwww...** ”, Sans cooed in an obnoxious way.

Not in the mood to hear more of this blatant mockery, Edge growled “ ** _Sans..._** ”, while casting a warning glare at his brother.

He really tried to do things differently, tried to change. It was hard work, he knew that. But it seemed close to impossible if his attempts were treated like something stupid or childish - it invoked only embarrassment and anger in him. He shouldn’t feel like that when he worked on fixing his fucking attitude.

Fortunately, this short and familiar threat was all that Sans needed to back off and drop the topic. Still, his bouncing feet that Edge saw with the corner of his eye socket was a clear indicator that the small skeleton wasn’t phased by this in the slightest. It was only a matter of time...

“ **So... where are we goin’?** ”, he lasted three minutes and that was enough for Edge to lose his patience.

“ **Shut _the fuck_ up!** ”, he barked at him loudly.

That resulted in another chuckle. “ **Heh... that’s more like it.** ”, the smaller skeleton said between giggles.

Without another word, Edge reached towards the radio and turned it on. When the music started, he turned the volume knob angrily and the sound of electric guitars drowned his brother’s triumphant laughter.

* * *

 

Edge decided to stop for a breakfast not so far from Ebott - despite the fact that the Barrier broke a few years ago, the majority of the monster population was still centered around the mountain. Seeing one of his kind much farther from the city wasn’t common and in the next county, it would be rare at most. He didn’t want to have this trip spoiled so soon by curious or hostile glares of humans that weren’t used to them.

Even without Sans’ constant prodding and antics, the road was long and tiring. Dealing with his brother’s shenanigans was a little easier after a meal but the smaller skeleton still managed to rile him up a few times... once by simply staring at him with his eye lights crossed for solid _fifteen minutes_. It was hard not to hear his snorting giggles over the radio and Edge didn’t want to turn the volume up too high in case there was something happening on the highway.

Thankfully, it all stopped the moment they passed the first billboard announcing that they were getting close to the Space Center. At first, Sans immediately went quiet when he saw it, twisting in his seat with his face glued to the window to see the familiar blue and white logo that they left behind.

“ **... no way.** ”, the small skeleton whispered in disbelief.

A second later, he turned around only to latch onto Edge’s closest arm with both of his hands, eye lights filled with surprise and wonder.

“ ** _No. Fuckin’. Way!_** ”, he said loudly, emphasizing every word.

Edge stopped feeling that this was the worst idea ever. “ **I thought you might enjoy a trip there... and I could learn a thing or two.** ”, he smiled a little. “ **Or was I wrong?** ”

“ **Are ya _fuckin_ ’ kiddin’ me!?**”, the other skeleton shook the arm he was holding in a pure expression of his almost childish excitement.

Edge didn’t comment on that awful lot of touching, allowing Sans to fully react in this carefree and somewhat adorable way. Only now, when the initial shock passed, the smug grin that’s usually present on his face turned into a big and honest smile that made him squint his eye sockets a little and colored his cheekbones with a hint of magic. It’s been a very long time since he saw his older brother this happy.

“ **I’ve read like... a _thousand_ times about it!**”, Sans let his arm go while exclaiming this and he immediately turned back to the window not to miss any other billboard they might pass. “ **They have those _sections_ you can tour in whatever order you wanna but I guess the route they advertise on the site is-**”

Almost as if floodgates were opened - the smaller skeleton started babbling with excitement about what he learned from the Space Center’s site and articles about the complex. He was gesturing wildly to emphasize some of his words and Edge listened to him. He did check the layout of the Center beforehand to get ready for the trip but it was something else to hear about the whole thing from his brother. Maybe it was the voice or maybe the emotions behind every word that made the ramble more fun.

Proud of himself, Edge smiled and nodded along with the small skeleton’s explanations. He decided that this one moment was worth the long ride and all the shitty behavior he had to suffer through. He hoped there was more of that to come, at least today.

Reaching their destination still took about half an hour but from what Edge noticed, Sans wasn’t even halfway done. He was too excited to stick to one topic and often strayed from it to favor another one. The only moment he stopped was to exclaim something incoherent in an excited manner when they finally left the road and Edge was driving towards the parking lot in front of the Space Center’s entrance.

As the tall skeleton parked his car, he noticed with relief that there weren’t many visitors today. He knew that despite being far from Ebott this was a place of science, not religion or superstition, so they would be fairly safe, especially with the security guards around.

Still, he felt tense when he began walking towards the wide building that served as the entrance and information point. He didn’t have to tell Sans to stick close to him as the still excited skeleton was almost stepping on him when they reached the gates.

Thankfully, nobody made a big issue of two monsters with pre-purchased admissions trying to get in. They received only weirded out stares from the information workers and cashiers but were let inside without so much as a comment. With the corner of his eye sockets, Edge noticed the security guard staring at them and saying something to her radio - something he hoped was just a heads up for the rest of her co-workers.

The other humans kept looking at them and that put him on edge but it wasn’t something he didn’t expect. He had to push his distrust and other issues aside today. Staying vigilant, he followed Sans who already dragged him towards the closest big building. It didn’t escape his attention that the small skeleton was keeping a firm grip on the rim of Edge’s coat and refused to separate from him. Seemed like none of them planned on straying away or wandering alone but he still made sure to agree upon meeting next to the car if one of them ever got lost.

The first attraction-filled building was focused on the history of space travel. Early stages of space exploration and stories about pioneers in that field oozed from every corner. It was a little unfathomable how crazy and determined humans could be - even with today’s technology sending people to space was dangerous and this particular part of the complex showed that they, frankly, didn’t give a fuck.

Listening how his brother went on about the things he read before or actually reading him whole paragraphs from the plaques hanging next to the attractions or monuments or photos, Edge began to feel a little pang of envy.

Humans had very extensive records of their history and even centered around just one part of their lives on the Surface, it all seemed bigger, more complex and more accurate than anything they had in the Underground. They cherished their history and made sure the next generations didn’t forget those brave and crazy people that worked their asses off to do something that seemed impossible in their times.

Monsters... didn’t have that. When the Barrier was created, they didn’t only lose their freedom and a possible future. They also lost their _past_ too. Everything about his race before the War was forgotten, as not many elder monsters actually survived long enough to pass on their knowledge or even make any proper records. Being too occupied with the War itself and trying to survive in the new and sunless circumstances, nobody bothered to do anything about it until it was too late.

It was almost as if their existence started with the War and there was nothing before to remember. When taught about history, everything was centered around those few years when the Underground felt hope again thanks to the royal siblings, only to have it smothered mercilessly in one night. Hopes and dreams shattered, the Queen exiled, everything went to hell. Some people called it the beginning of the Second War. A War as hopeless and pointless as their existence - with a foe that was beyond their reach.

Edge was aware that human history was filled with wars and broken hopes too. But there were other things that filled the blank spaces between all the fighting. There were thriving countries, ingenious inventions sprouting left and right, art and knowledge reaching everywhere... and space travel. Humans on the Surface had something his Underground lacked - hope for the better future supported by the records from the past.

He was probably biased - he lived in the world similar to the war zones that were around the Surface even now. Still...

Knowing that history was filled both with horrible and pretty good events seemed to make the world a little more bearable. Even if the bad seemed to outweigh the good in some cases, there was still a semblance of balance to it.

He turned to look at his brother that was currently occupied with reading every possible detail on the plaque next to the big rocket suspended over the visitors’ heads - the only reason the tall skeleton could even drift away into his thoughts was the sudden silence. Sans seemed... so happy here.

Edge was never interested in space stuff like his older brother. It seemed futile to him to dream about something that was far enough to be inaccessible even for the humans. Not that he didn’t have stupid dreams of his own... but they seemed a little more possible from where he was standing. But seeing the whole complex now and actually paying attention to the topic, he was beginning to understand.

Even with the Barrier barring them from freedom, space travel wasn’t this far-fetched. If it was impossible to go to the Surface anyway, why not be bolder and think about touching the actual stars, right? He heard that everything, every war, every turmoil, every problem seemed small and insignificant from up there. As unsettling as the thought felt for him, he understood that it could also mean something positive. Every monster had their own way to find hope in the dire world they were living in after all.

He didn’t allow himself to dwell on those dark thoughts for too long, immediately ceasing to go down that road when Sans perked up at him and continued their tour. Edge was positive his brother wouldn’t want to delve so deep into the meaning of life and hope with him. It wasn’t his style.

And he didn’t want to spoil his fun with those topics.

So far, Edge had noticed that his brother’s extensive knowledge about this particular part of the complex would be enough to actually work here as a decent tour guide. He knew everything there was about every piece of capsule, rocket, and probably the favorite color of the astronauts mentioned in the Hall of Fame. Despite that, Sans still stopped every now and then to read more about some exhibits and paid a rapt attention to new bits of new information he could squeeze from the interactive screens and displays.

When this building's attractions were exhausted, they went outside to tentatively join a small group heading towards the rockets. The guide stuttered a few times upon seeing them but continued with ease once he collected himself. It was worse with the tourists though - Edge saw that some of them blatantly took pictures of them or even recorded them. To his relief, nobody tried to approach them so far.

The tall skeleton decided to follow his brother’s footsteps and focused on the tall metal contraption that seemed to sprout out of the ground like a huge tree. He found out that this part of the Space Center was even more interesting to him. And _definitely_ enlightening. Seeing something personally puts various things in perspective and the same rule worked for space travel. He knew a rocket could be big but nothing makes you actually comprehend the size of it better than standing right next to it.

The time seemed to fly by extremely fast and unfortunately, they had to decide which attractions had priority - the whole complex was too big to fully experience it in just one day. Making a mental note to come back to explore the rest of the Space Center with his brother, Edge suggested resting their feet in the theaters. They would be hidden from the curious gazes they had been receiving all day and still be able to spend their time learning more. That seemed to be a good idea for Sans too and they both eagerly hid in the darkness in the back of the seat-filled room.

After two quite enlightening short movies, they went back to the rockets to exploit the fact that there were much fewer visitors around and they took some pictures. None of them was eager to ask any humans for help with that but thankfully Edge’s arm was long enough to make for a pretty decent ‘selfie-stick’.

As they were getting ready to leave, the small skeleton pulled him towards the souvenirs shop and Edge didn’t say a word when his brother decided to buy some dumb shit. In a way, it was nice to have a matching pair of T-shirts to remember this trip by. Even the awful print “ _I may be N Er Dy but only periodically_ ” couldn’t spoil the fact that they both had a blast here.

They weren’t the last visitors to leave, but the hour was getting late and they still had a long journey ahead of them. The security guard they saw at the very beginning of their tour gave them a sincere wave with a smile as they were leaving, which put Edge in an even better mood than before.

The road back home was much calmer. Sans was texting vigorously on his phone for a while and Edge idly listened to the sound of his phalanges tapping on the buttons while letting the strange sense of tired serenity flood his soul. Half an hour later, the small skeleton was already asleep - the day was long and being this excited and all over the place wasn’t something his older brother did often. Edge decided he didn’t want to disturb his brother’s sleep with music and drove accompanied only by his soft snoring.

The scarred skeleton knew there was yet a lot to be done to fix what he had with Sans but at this point, he felt that this was a good start. Those few days after the trial helped him get back some semblance of normalcy and allowed him to build more determination to work on himself - this trip was another successful step towards that.

He expected there would be some ups and downs, like in the morning. Still, it was a small price to pay for getting to spend time with Sans. Edge also found out that he wanted to be a part of Sans’ life but not only because he _owed_ him being a better brother. He also wanted that just for _himself_.

* * *

 

It was late when they finally got home. Edge didn’t rush on their way back, making sure they all arrived in one piece - the car included. For a moment, he wondered whether to wake up his snoring brother but after a while of idle staring at Sans’ face, he decided against it.

Picking up his brother’s sleeping body from the passenger seat was a challenge, though Edge was rewarded with only incoherent mumbling as the small skeleton remained fast asleep. It was extremely satisfying to be able to carry Sans around the house without experiencing the awkwardness and tension of the last time this happened. Edge had a dumb thought that he would be fine with this occurring more often. He suspected this _could_ get annoying very soon though - Papyrus always complained about his own brother falling asleep in the weirdest places - but for now, he took what he got and felt content.

Bothering only to take his brother’s jacket and shoes off, he left him sleeping in his bed without covering him up with blankets. The heating in the house was already on and he didn’t see the need for this much pampering. Minding the more creaking parts of the stairs, Edge went back to the hallway to deposit his brother’s autumn attire and take off his own coat. With a relaxed sigh, he entered the living room and was greeted by two shining eye lights looking straight at him from the upper floor.

“ **Did we wake you up?** ”, the scarred skeleton asked as he stopped in his tracks.

Papyrus, who was leaning on the balustrade, smiled at him. “NOT AT ALL, BROTHER.”, he said in his chipper tone, though his voice wasn’t as loud as usual. Probably a courtesy to the sleeping older brothers. “DID YOU HAVE FUN ON YOUR TRIP?”

“ **Yes. It was...** ”, Edge couldn’t help but smile. “ **... something else. We will probably visit again, there was too much to see and too little time. Maybe... you two could join us then?** ”

The other skeleton’s smile got even wider. “THAT SOUNDS DELIGHTFUL.”, he straightened himself and the balustrade creaked softly when the weight of his elbows disappeared. “DO YOU HAVE A MOMENT OR... MAYBE YOU’RE TOO TIRED? IT WAS A PRETTY LONG DAY FOR BOTH OF YOU.”

With a frown, Edge gave those words a thought. There was nothing in Papyrus’ expression suggesting heavy or unpleasant topics but the fact that he wanted to talk at this hour was a little alarming. Even if he was tired after the trip, he was sure that wondering about what was going on would keep him up for a big chunk of the night.

Edge shook his head with a sigh. “ **Tea?** ”, he quirked his scarred brow bone.

“PLEASE.”, Papyrus answered and made his way downstairs.

They both settled at the kitchen table while waiting for the water to boil. Edge had already prepared the mugs and picked the tea, somehow remembering which one his brother preferred.

“HAVE YOU MADE ANY ARRANGEMENTS REGARDING YOUR FREELANCE JOB YET?”, the other skeleton asked, his tone light and casual.

“ **Yes... well, no. Not exactly. Some of my clients were willing to wait for me to settle my ‘ _family business_ ’.**” Edge prepped his chin on his hand as he looked at his counterpart. ” **I was planning to call some of them tomorrow to see if those claims were still valid.** ”, he assured quickly.

Despite the nagging feeling that Papyrus actually wanted _something_ from him, that only invoked a satisfied smile, as if the conversation was about the weather and nothing else. “IT SEEMS YOU MADE QUITE A REPUTATION AMONG THEM.”

The scarred skeleton gave him a cautious nod. “ **Working efficiently and meticulously pays off, it’s that simple. Some of them take pleasure having... a monster working for them.** ”, he grimaced. “ **But it’s easy to ignore if I don’t have to look at their _annoying_ mugs every day.**”

“I SEE.”, Papyrus chuckled and a second later looked away, his tone turned more hesitant. “I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT...”

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the boiling water. Edge stood up to take care of the teas and shortly after they were both comfortably seated across each other with hot mugs warming their hands.

“I ACTUALLY WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING EARLIER BUT... WE WERE ALL OTHERWISE OCCUPIED.”, the other skeleton shrugged.

Edge gave him a pointed look that communicated every possible swear word that could describe the deep shit he was in not so long ago. He refrained from speaking any of them out loud - the Swear Jar was on the counter not so far from him.

“EXACTLY.”, Papyrus seemed to catch what he meant with that glare and tapped on the mug as if the sole mention of that shitstorm reawakened some anxious feelings. “THIS INDEED MADE ME PUT THIS IDEA ON HOLD FOR THE TIME BEING. THINGS NOW ARE GETTING BACK TO NORMAL THOUGH...”

There was something extremely stressful in the way this usually straightforward skeleton danced around the topic without actually telling him what the fuck was going on. Despite that, Edge decided to wait and remained silent.

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK AT THE EMBASSY?”, his brother finally asked.

The scarred skeleton spent the next few seconds dumbfounded, staring at Papyrus and blinking like an idiot. When it finally occurred to him to actually say something, he stuttered. “ **You... you want _me_ to work... for you?** ”

Papyrus immediately shook his head. “NO. I WANT YOU TO WORK _WITH_ ME.”

Edge still had some trouble processing what he just heard so this disambiguation completely flew over his head. With his tea forgotten for the time being, he kept gaping at his counterpart in a futile attempt to make sense of this conversation.

“ ** _... why?_** ”, he blurted out.

The other skeleton smiled gently at him from across the table. “FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE I AM SURE YOU’D BE WONDERFUL AT THIS JOB.”, he said with disarming sincerity.

“AS I TOLD YOU BEFORE...”, Papyrus continued, leaning back in his seat. “THIS WORK IS EXHAUSTING, ESPECIALLY TACKLED ALONE. I DO HAVE A TEAM AND THEIR HELP TAKES A TREMENDOUS LOAD OFF OF MY SHOULDERS.”, he gestured idly with his free hand. “BUT AS HUMAN DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS HAVE THEIR AMBASSADORS AND THEIR CHARGÉS... I DO NOT HAVE ANYBODY THAT COULD STEP IN WHEN I’M OVERWHELMED OR...”, Papyrus paused to wince. “... OR UNAVAILABLE.”

When Edge didn’t answer to this in any way, he cleared this proverbial throat. His next words were spoken in a more cautious tone as if he carefully chose what to say.

“I... I WISH TO WORK WITH SOMEBODY COMPETENT AND RESPONSIBLE. SOMEBODY I CAN TRUST TO PERFORM THEIR DUTIES TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES BUT ALSO...”, his eye lights were trailed at the scarred skeleton’s features. “SOMEBODY WITH A SOLID _BACKBONE_.”

Edge would have scoffed at this dumb wordplay but the sole idea of actually working at the Embassy as an important part of the whole diplomatic machine that kept the monsters safe on the Surface was so surreal he wasn’t able to do that. His prolonged silence made Papyrus a little uneasy if the way he tapped on the mug was any indication.

“I _NEED_ A CHARGÉ, EDGE.”, he spoke up again, something else shining in his always bright eye lights. “AND I’M ASKING YOU TO... _CONSIDER_ THIS IDEA. NOTHING ELSE.”

Again, this was still a lot to process - especially after such a draining day he had today. As soon as Edge even began to think about this, a million questions appeared in his head. He _couldn’t_ possibly do it, could he? He was far from diplomatic as his memory served him, always getting riled up by the smallest shit, exploding into a fit of rage when things went drastically awry, spouting rude comments left and right. Why would Papyrus even consider talking to him about this if he didn’t think he was able to “ _execute his job to the best of his abilities_ ”?

“EDGE...?”, his brother’s voice sounded even more worried now.

“ **I-I** **...** “, he stuttered again. “ **That’s... Wow.** ” Edge had trouble in saying anything remotely coherent as he rubbed the back of his vertebrae in an attempt to ground himself a little. “ **That’s a... huge thing.** ”

“I KNOW...”, Papyrus assured with a smile but it seemed a little strained right now.

“ **How would I even...** ”, he took a deeper breath to collect his thoughts. If he was tired or sleepy a minute ago, he was very much awake and alert now. “ **I don’t even know anything about this kind of work.** ”

The Ambassador quirked his brow bone while looking at him incredulously. “AND _THAT’S_ THE ONLY OBSTACLE YOU SEE IN HERE?”

“ ** _No._** ”, this time it was easier to scoff. “ **Just the first one.** ”

“I ASSUMED THAT IF YOU WERE TO AGREE, I WOULD MAKE SURE YOU’RE PROPERLY EDUCATED ABOUT ALL THAT MATTERS.”, Papyrus crossed his arms while casting a quick glance at his untouched tea. “I KNOW THOSE PARTICULAR DARK CORNERS OF DIPLOMACY INSIDE OUT SO THIS SEEMS ONLY REASONABLE.”

“ **But it would take time. Weeks, _months_ even.**”, Edge shook his head, still not quite believing what he was actually discussing. “ **You said you _needed_ somebody.**”

Papyrus nodded slowly. “YES. SOONER OR LATER, I WILL HAVE TO FILL THIS POSITION IN. BUT IF LATER MEANS I WILL GET TO WORK WITH SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, I CAN WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.”

As his counterpart made this pretty valid point, Edge caught himself actually giving this crazy idea a thought. He _could_ learn. Paperwork wasn’t an entirely uncharted territory for him - he had to deal with it before, as a Captain. He had no illusions it would be the same on the Surface but there were probably some similarities that could make it easier on him.

Was he _really_ considering this?

“ **What about my reputation? And... my record?** ”, he didn’t know how to put his worries into proper words so decided to be as straightforward as his racing mind allowed him to be. “ **Wouldn’t it be bad for you if you decide to appoint me as... as your chargé?** ”

The Ambassador squinted a little and his voice got a smidge colder. “I’M AFRAID THE OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN THE EMBASSY WOULD HAVE TO SUCK IT UP AND WORK WITH ME _AND_ YOU ANYWAY.”

“DON’T GET ME WRONG, BROTHER.”, he promptly calmed himself down and laced his slender fingers, cupping his mug. “I AM AWARE OF WHAT THEY SAY BEHIND MY BACK ABOUT YOU. BUT THE FACT IS... I’M CHOOSING YOU BECAUSE I _KNOW_ YOU.”

Edge rubbed his face with his hand and pressed the tips of the sharp phalanges against his closed eye sockets. He was slowly noticing the pattern here - to every doubt or worry, Papyrus already had a counterargument. It was to be expected from the _fucking_ Ambassador but it also showed him that the other skeleton spent a lot of time thinking this decision through. The weight of the question was slowly settling on his shoulders as he felt a gentle touch on his hand - the one he was currently clenching into a fist.

“EDGE...”, Papyrus spoke gently. “I CAN SEE THIS COMES AS A SHOCK TO YOU. BUT THAT’S ON ME FOR FAILING AT MAKING SURE YOU KNOW HOW HIGHLY I THINK OF YOU.”

He ceased touching him the moment the scarred skeleton lowered his hand to look at his counterpart. “I’VE MADE MY DECISION.”, the Ambassador assured. “I AM ONLY ASKING YOU TO THINK ABOUT IT. YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE ME THE ANSWER NOW, OR EVEN A WEEK FROM NOW. THIS IS IMPORTANT AND I DO NOT WISH TO PRESSURE YOU IN ANY WAY.”

“ **What... what if I refuse?** ”, Edge said softly after a while.

“NOTHING.”, Papyrus’ face seemed like a mask now, still smiling but there was something unnerving in how he didn’t react at all to this question. “THERE ARE OTHER MONSTERS THAT I KNOW I CAN ASK. SOME EVEN ALREADY WORKING WITH ME. I AM NOT CHOOSING THE EASIEST OPTION HERE. I... I’M TRYING... TO PICK THE BEST ONE IN THE LONG RUN FOR EVERYBODY.”

“ **Ah.** ”, Edge breathed flatly. “ **So much for ‘no pressure’...** ”

For some reason, Papyrus seemed uncomfortable after this comment. He looked away while taking his hands off of the table. “I... APOLOGIZE, BROTHER. I TRULY DO NOT WANT TO MAKE YOU FEEL FORCED TO DO THAT.”

It was still hard for Edge to wrap his head around it, though some of his thoughts already started spiraling towards agreeing. At the same time, the mere idea of taking so many responsibilities on himself while still not feeling exactly... whole... it was terrifying. It was _huge_ and Edge suddenly felt very little when facing this choice.

Was he really the best option? His experience in managing the Guard and being a decent tactician was an asset that could indeed prove useful in diplomatic work but those skills weren’t even mentioned in this conversation. The main reason why Papyrus wanted him there was because he _trusted_ Edge. He _believed_ in him.

“ **I did say I wanted to help you.** ”, he admitted as the memory of their talk before the trial came back to him.

“NO. _NOT_ LIKE THIS.” Papyrus shook his head vigorously - something opposite to what the scarred skeleton expected. “I REMEMBER ABOUT THIS PROMISE BUT THAT’S _NOT_ WHY I’M ASKING YOU.”

The Ambassador rolled his eye lights at nothing in particular. “I ACTUALLY WANTED TO USE THIS IN A... DIFFERENT WAY.”, he looked at Edge with a slightly mischievous smirk. “WOULD THAT MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT MY QUESTION? I MEAN, IF YOU WOULDN’T BE BURDENED WITH THE WORD YOU GAVE ME?”

Edge frowned at this, though his tense soul welcomed this easy way out of the shocking topic.

“ **Honestly, I’m afraid to even _ask_ what it is...**”, he grumbled as his counterparts smile only widened.

* * *

 

It was a given that of all his human friends, it would be Cindy to get most excited about this. As soon as he mentioned this part of the deal with Papyrus, she started asking a lot of questions - most of them impossible to answer because even the scarred skeleton didn’t have those details yet.

“Are you going to use props or the real thing?”, she asked, her eyes shining with joy.

She was walking right in front of him to make the maneuvering between the other people and shopping carts easier. Every few steps she looked over her shoulder at the skeleton and he could clearly see her adorable smile.

Edge knew she loved that stuff and this was the reason he decided to tell her. Seeing her react to the whole thing made him both nervous and a little giddy. In the previous years, when his kind held the Monster Spring Fair, he wasn’t very willing to help with anything. It seemed like a waste of time, energy and resources. Humans and monsters having a _picnic_? It was just plain stupid.

However, this time it would be different. For one, he was going to take part in the main event and perform a staged fight with nobody else but Papyrus himself. It would be more of a show for the humans and maybe stripes than an actual fight but still... It made him anxious. Being in the center of attention while standing next to his counterpart, and being compared to him, wasn’t exactly a thing he was looking forward to.

“ **Papyrus said something about making it seem ‘authentic’ and exciting... so I have a feeling those will be real swords.** ”, Edge answered not exactly matching her tone with his own.

He slowly turned around the closest corner display and entered another aisle. There were fewer humans in here and that allowed him to relax a little bit. With their cart half full they were getting slowly closer to the part of the mall he was more interested in.

She hummed under her nose. “That _does_ sound exciting. What about armors?”

“ **I have an old armor of mine.** ”, he grimaced at his own eagerness to answer anything this human was asking about. “ **Papyrus probably needs to work on his own.** ”

“Wait... your _own_ armor? Like... a _real_ one?”, she stopped in her tracks and swirled around to face him. Edge almost bumped into her with the cart but managed to stop in the last moment.

Since their one and only date, Cindy began growing on him. She was still an odd one but in that harmless and even adorable way, unlike you could be. She stopped irritating him or Edge stopped seeing her actions and words as annoying. Either way, her behavior changed a little during this time and the skeleton had a feeling she got over her crush on him. That allowed both of them to behave... more naturally around each other. At least, it seemed like it.

Also, he stopped being an asshole to her.

“ **Yes. I was... a part of the Royal Guard down there.** ”, he shrugged while avoiding her intense and curious stare. “ **It’s like your human law enforcement. You have your own armors that protect you from bullets, right?** ”

“Oh, oh, right. I didn’t know you were a guard.”, she resumed her shopping guide duty and pulled the front of the cart into another aisle.

“ **A lot of monsters performed different duties in the Underground. A lot of them changed professions... There are more interesting jobs to do here.** ”, he explained patiently.

“I guess so.”, with a frown that wrinkled her nose, she began digging through the clothes hanger.

It was still a little crazy for him to be doing Gyftmas shopping with her. Those few months back, he wouldn’t even think of spending his day at a human mall. Yet here he was, and with a human friend who offered her company to make this trip a little more bearable.

Cindy, being the middle child of a pretty large family and a medieval fair enthusiast, had a lot of skills when it came to surviving in the human packed places. She claimed to be able to ‘not to go bonkers in the shopping malls in the middle of December’ which didn’t seem impressive until Edge actually saw what utter mayhem that really is. His human friend wasn’t bothered at all by all the humans forcing their way through right next to her and she had the ability to dodge the pointy elbows of old ladies hovering around shelves filled with overpriced knick-knacks.

The skeleton wasn’t aware how much he needed Cindy around until he almost caused a scene in the middle of the ornaments aisle. When some dumb kid accidentally slammed the cart into his tibia, she was already standing next to him, ready to do... something. He _was_ annoyed at the child, of course, but it was their parents that truly riled him up with stupid comments. It seemed that for _some_ humans his kind still wasn’t allowed to breathe the same air as them...

Grimacing, Edge shook off the rest of disgust he felt towards humankind after that unpleasant encounter and focused on the shelves and hangers around him. Cindy was already scouring the depths of the clothes racks as he left the cart next to a plastic Christmas tree and joined her.

He hoped this trip, besides buying other things he thought the skeleton household lacked, would be a good occasion to finally get a few ideas for the rest of the presents. For some unfathomable reason, this year he had _seven_ people he wanted to gift with something nice and appropriate. The previous events occupied his mind’s every waking hour and his thoughts very rarely lingered on actually planning anything for after the trial. This meant he had very little time until Gyftmas and a lot of shit to do.

He was glad they began the whole thing from the most crowded part of the mall and slowly made way towards the less frequented sections. There were some people around but at least he didn’t feel as if he was suffocating.

The whole shopping expedition was beginning to overwhelm him though. There were so many people, so much shit staring at him from the shelves, music and announcements bombarding him from every direction, myriads of colors, shiny ornaments swirling over his head, toys doing weird and loud stuff, people talking, yelling, laughing...

He had enough of that for at least a year.

And... there was this other _thing_ Edge was supposed to think about. So much for having a break from stressful or complicated events in his life. He knew very well that this was more like a challenge or an opportunity for him to grow... but a respectful job was one thing while helping to share this kind of burden with his brother was something entirely else.

“So... actually how much have you planned?”, Cindy’s face popped out from between two long dresses. “Do you have any ideas or a story you want to portray?”

Edge shook his head while looking at the seams of some hoodies hanging to his left. “ **No. We don’t have anything yet. It’s still in the early stages and Papyrus wanted to know if I’m going to do that first.** ”, he muttered, perfectly aware how his counterpart’s manipulation worked.

He didn’t have to look at her to almost feel her smile shining at him. “Do you need any help? I’d love to help.”

“ **I... I can ask Papyrus about this.** ”, he let out a sigh and glared at her. “ **Focus on shopping, woman! That’s in a few months, not days!** ”

With a soft giggle, her ginger head disappeared.

Edge scoffed and went back to his own search. He already had some ideas for the gifts, which was a relief. This year he would feel awful half-assing this occasion like he used to before, especially around Papyrus who always insisted this was a family holiday and tried including them in everything. Seeing what madness it was to go shopping this late in December made him understand why his tall brother was always bragging about having the gifts ready around summer. That’s a tactic _he_ would use too if he knew about the war zone the mall could be this time around. Perhaps next year...

“Hey, can you hold it up for me?”, Cindy reappeared again, almost taking half of the t-shirt rack with her - somehow all the clothes remained on the hangers. She had a dark red dress in her hands and was already pushing it into his arms.

“ **... what?** ”, Edge involuntarily grabbed the garment and cast her a surprised glance.

Cindy brushed her curly hair from her face and smiled. “It’s for my sister. She’s way taller than me and I can’t gauge if the size is right for her when I hold it.”

With an exasperated huff, the skeleton did as he was told and held the dress high enough for the human to take a good look at it. He idly wondered how many siblings Cindy actually had. So far he managed to count about four when he listened to her stories about her family.

“Ok, I think it should be cool.”, she made a grabby hand gesture at the dress. “Gotta say, this color suits you.”, she commented with a short giggle when she stuffed it into the cart.

Edge immediately cast her a very unimpressed glare.

“Come on, I’m _joking_.”, she rolled her eyes. “I know it wouldn’t look good on you.”

“ **You are mistaken, woman.** ”, the skeleton scoffed. “ ** _Any_ rag would look great on me.**”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.”, she put her hands on her hips in a taunting manner.

The skeleton froze with a cooking book he was currently inspecting in his hands and slowly turned his head to look at his human friend. When she stuck out her tongue at him it was his turn to roll his eye lights.

“ **Forget it.** ”, he said and reached for another book.

“So, you’re chickening out?”, Cindy was right next to him and tried to bump her hip at his - needless to say, she was too short to make this gesture work. “Just _tall_ talking?”

“ **Was that a fucking pun?** ”, he spat while putting the cookbook back on the shelf with a loud thwack.

“Maybe.”, she shrugged. “Oh, this one looks interesting!”, her attention span proved yet again to be much shorter than Edge’s and she was already off to look at something else.

The skeleton was glad that after all those weeks of knowing each other Cindy was pretty much used to his sudden outbursts and started to notice when his growling and yelling was something he just did but didn’t mean. Previously, she would react with flinching or nervously looking at her shoes when he did that... now she stopped giving a fuck. Which was a little annoying but also much better in his opinion.

After maybe a few minutes of idly paging through another cookbook, the skeleton made one of the stupidest decisions in his life and turned around to find his companion. He saw her not so far from him, leaning over the big basket filled with colorful socks. He sucked up a breath but firmly ignored those in favor of looking at Cindy.

“ **... _Fine_.** ”, he growled while taking those few steps closer and crossed his arms against his chest.

He focused on her hair in the brave attempt of not looking at the offending pieces of clothing. It wasn’t the first time he wondered how different would those red curls feel against his bone than Toby’s hair. Human hair was a better thing to think about than the contents of the basket, for sure.

“Huh?”, she looked up.

“ **I said _fine_.** ”, Edge turned his back on the socks. “ **I accept the challenge.** ”

It took her a moment to understand what he was referring to but the second she got it, her features got brighter from her wide and excited smile.

“ **But!** ”, Edge raised his bony finger before she had a chance to say anything. “ **If you pick something for me, I pick something for _you_ too.**”

“Oh...”, she deflated a little, hesitation quite visible in her eyes.

It was not a great moment to compare Cindy to you, but Edge couldn’t help himself. He knew you wouldn’t hesitate even for a second. You thrived on doing stupid shit and a chance to do the same stuff together would be even more fun for you than putting only him through this challenge alone. You were different than this human, you were bolder... and he was now very aware how much he missed you and your craziness.

“ **Well?** ”, he quirked his bone brow, waiting for Cindy to answer.

She fidgeted a little, clearly getting more self-conscious with every second. “Okay...?”, her answer was unsure.

“ **Then what are you waiting for, woman? Go get something you think I can’t pull off.** ”, he gestured at the clothes part of the mall. “ **I’ll find something for you.** ”

With a giddy smile, she was already on her way to start this stupid game. After casting a short glare at the socks basket humans so blatantly put in the middle of this section, Edge decided to actually make some effort and find something stupid for Cindy to wear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked what I wrote here, my beautiful Readers! Remember I am always eager to learn what you think about my ideas so don't hesitate to leave a comment!
> 
> Love you all!
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic. Skellies and author answer asks and have fun. There's also fanart tag and I strongly encourage you to leave some love to all the people that did something for me!


	33. Still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge gets ready for Gyftmas and makes a decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is much shorter, filled with some small bonding and extremely sweet family fluff. Hope you like it!

Edge still could hear your loud giggles ringing in his skull, even when the video chat time was already over. He showed you photos he made with Cindy in the mall and you almost fell off your chair from laughter. He wasn’t entirely surprised - both he and the ginger woman looked ridiculous.

The photos were a little blurry because Cindy couldn’t stop giggling and that shook both of them when he tried to squeeze with her into the frame. She was wearing donkey overalls the skeleton found in the box filled with discarded Halloween costumes and the blue-purple color scheme went pretty well with her hair. The hood looked awful though, with the askew print of a donkey’s face on top of it. Edge was wearing a very glittery red dress that didn’t fit him at all as he lacked... certain female appendages on the chest level. His legs looked good despite that.

The whole discomfort of behaving like an idiot in a public place paid off tenfold - hearing your beautiful voice ring like that made his soul do a solid backflip in his ribcage. If there was anything he began to _love_ doing, it was making you laugh.

The trip to the mall, albeit uncomfortable and off-putting, made it possible for Edge to finally figure out what he wanted to give to all of his friends. Thankfully, working on the gifts didn’t last as long as he feared and everything regarding those was ready two days before Gyftmas. Only the glue on Papyrus’ present was still drying.

Even with everything being ready for that holiday, Edge still tried to find something to do _instead_ of focusing on the pros and cons of being a chargé. He felt guilty for neglecting the topic and not giving it any deeper thought but the opportunity to occupy his mind with preparations was too tempting. Now, the gifts awaited in his room, the house was clean and doing anything more would border on being crazy. Even the smaller skeletons kept their usual level of mess to a minimum.

Spending time with any of his human friends was currently out of the question too. Everybody Edge knew was too busy with their own lives to help him forget about the question Papyrus asked not so long ago.

Cindy had her huge family over at her place. From what he had learned, she had a war zone at home and wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice her peace of mind for him. Five people were enough for Edge to give _him_ a headache, and she had about fifteen guests there now.

Toby had left Ebott today with his mother. As far as he knew, the small drummer lived with only one parent and the skeleton hoped this _wasn’t_ the person that made Toby’s life harder. No matter the situation, they were currently spending the human Christmas time a few counties away.

You were also neck deep in the preparations and it was hard for you to find time for a video chat that matched his timezone. Even Damien said he had some plans too and since Sans and Papyrus were somewhat busy with their pre-Gyftmas schedules at work...

Edge had absolutely nothing to do... so he decided this was the best time to take his motorcycle for a ride.

It was late afternoon when he rolled his vehicle out of the garage and turned the ignition. The engine roared to life a split second later, filling his non-existent ears with its melody. This time, when Edge left the driveway, he knew where to go instead of just opting on an idle ride around the town. He drove his motorcycle towards the highway and after not long he saw a clear silhouette of Mt. Ebott already looming over him.

A sudden thought appeared in his mind when his heavy boots hit the gravel path leading to the Door - he had been here quite a lot recently. Ever since his life got a little more exciting - and sometimes verged on too exciting -  he felt that the soothing remnants of the old magic helped him. In some way at least. The distant buzzing that vibrated through his bones and very soul allowed him to collect his thoughts and probably this was the reason he felt the need to ride here again.

This time, however, he didn’t walk towards the entrance to the Underground - not his past to visit after all - but chose one of the benches that were standing along the path. Every single one of them was turned to face the view that spread in front of him. A steep slope of the mountainside disappeared into a dense forest that slowly gave way for an empty and already yellow field. The grass that died due to cold encompassed a fairly big lake at the bottom of the valley. What truly made this sight beautiful was the sun, currently hiding slowly behind the horizon.

The skeleton sat on the bench and leaned forward to bask in the last warm rays of today’s sunshine. It was a little heartbreaking that due to the season, the days got shorter and there was less time to enjoy this but... it still was the Surface and the stars visible during the night were a consolation enough. Soon, it will get dark and much colder. He considered getting earmuffs - the nights were sometimes worse than in Snowdin, for some reason.

A low shuffle and odd panting coming from the right side attracted Edge’s attention. He noticed two familiar silhouettes a few benches over and frowned in surprise. The lazybones and his dog were the last creatures he suspected to see here. It was quite far from their part of the city which meant the smaller skeleton needed to use his shortcut to get here.

Just as if they were home and the bench in question was the couch, Sans flopped on the other end of it with a relieved sigh. The dog quickly found his way under it with a similarly happy grunt. The whole thing looked as if it was a normal occurrence.

Edge kept silent for a while, not entirely sure how to start a conversation, or if he even should. The lazybones clearly chose his company - there were many empty benches along the path and he couldn’t come up with any reason why this particular one could be his favorite. Despite the calm atmosphere around the mountain, the scarred skeleton felt a little odd. He was here to clear his head, after all, not to deal with his brother’s counterpart.

After a minute or so, Edge figured he should extend his better behavior to this Sans as well. He was focused mostly on his brother and friends for the past days, giving space to everybody else and slightly avoiding Papyrus.

“ **I know what you did.** ”, Edge finally said, his voice even.

That made the other skeleton flinch and give him a startled look. “... uh... you _can’t_ tell pap.”

“ **About the new cell phone and the fact that you are capable of cleaning the kitchen?** ”, he quirked his brow while casting a sly glance at the smaller skeleton. His suspicions regarding Sans’ doings got just confirmed.

His brother’s counterpart stared at him for a few seconds before rolling his eye lights. “ha. ha. ha. you’re _funny_.”, he grumbled and started fiddling with the end of the leash in his hands. “but seriously... you can’t.”

Edge scoffed. “ **And what makes you think he doesn’t know already?** ”

“oh, _he knows_. i’m sure.”, the smaller skeleton leaned back with a sigh. “but as long as he doesn’t hear that from me _or_ you, he still preserves his plausible deniability.”

The scarred skeleton nodded at this and focused his eye lights on the sight in front of him. He still wasn’t sure if Sans’ visit to coax ‘Jim’ to testify helped him during the trial or not but he preferred not to think how close he had been to losing everything. There were some things left to say on that matter though.

“ **Nevertheless... I’m grateful.** ”, he muttered.

“don’t mention.”, Sans gave him a shrug before adding in a wry tone. “the things a monster does for family...”

There was something else in those words but Edge decided he shouldn’t try to push the other for answers regarding his own trial. That happened some time ago and he couldn’t actually blame the smaller skeleton for defending what was his. Even if the outcome was far from acceptable...

“i mean...”, Sans broke the silence again. “i don’t mind you being bros with pap.”

“ **I’ve never asked _you_ for permission.**”, he snapped in response.

The smaller skeleton turned his head to look at him and raised his brow bone meaningfully. “yeah. i know. i’m not sayin’ you need it.”, he huffed with exasperation. “take it as a blessin’ and go back to not bein’ an asshole for a while longer, would you?”

Edge relaxed his hands and leaned back too, matching the way Sans was sitting. He did feel this outburst was a little uncalled for. It was still hard to forget all the irritating quips he exchanged with this particular lazybones. He grit his teeth and quelled the urge to bark something back.

He felt the white eye lights observe him for a moment. Gauging. Judging. Like always.

“i can see you’re... kinda working on yourself.”, Sans spoke, his voice as if he was talking about the weather.

The scarred skeleton thought about the answer for a moment, willing himself to not snap back. They both were past the dumb banter that happened from time to time when Papyrus was out of the earshot. A civil conversation could be another step towards... something.

“ **Some events make people rethink their lives.** ”, Edge answered, slowly weighing every word. “ **Maybe even take bigger steps to change... into what they wanted to be.** ”

With the corner of his eye sockets, he noticed how Sans lowered his head.

“... i didn’t make it easy for you, huh?”, he muttered.

Not entirely sure how to answer to that, Edge remained silent for a moment. There was a question in this but it was hard to come up with something reasonable - so he decided on being passive-aggressive. “ **That is true. You’re _insufferable_ most of the time.**”

The smaller skeleton chuckled. “ _most_ of the time? wow. that’s a progress on my side then.”

Edge allowed himself to smirk a little at this.

“you probably know...”, Sans turned to look at the big ball of fire currently melting into the horizon and flooding everything in the warm golden light. “... _this_ was the first thing we saw when we left.”, he gestured at the sun. There was a hint of wonder in his voice, something Edge understood pretty well.

No matter how many months have passed and how many sunsets and sunrises he had seen... this would never be boring to him. Nothing that reminded him of his freedom could bore him.

“ **... It changes everything, doesn’t it?** ”, his own voice was soft this time.

The lazybones let out a deep sigh, still staring ahead. “yeah. suddenly life is gettin’ so much more worth livin’... and so much more complicated.”

Again, while talking to this Sans, he had a strange feeling of deja vu. Somehow his words reminded him of what he thought sometimes - about his life, about this world, about the Surface. Only recently Edge had noticed there was something more under this bag of bones’ demeanor. Something deeper than shitty jokes and shitty attitude, it seemed.

“ **It was easier there.** ”, he admitted. “ **Everybody had their place and purpose. To some extent.** ”

“heh. yeah. shit’s scary here.”, Sans chuckled.

Not for the first time, Edge looked at the other skeleton with surprise. It was one of those moments when his brother’s counterpart behaved so... odd. So open. There was still caution in his words as if they were carefully chosen not to sound too vulnerable, almost on the verge of a joke. Almost.

“ **Indeed.** ”, Edge agreed slowly. “ **It’s hard to find your own niche on the Surface. It sometimes seems... too big. There’s only a bunch of us.** ”

“it’s funny, right?”, Sans laughed in a way that verged on sincere. He didn’t look at Edge though. “how you dream all your life to be free, to see the stars and the sky and all that jam. but bein’ here makes you wanna hide in a cave again.”

“ **Adjusting takes time.** ”, he answered but at the same time, he felt he was saying this to himself too.

Sans only hummed in agreement and didn’t continue the topic. Both of them remained silent until the sun disappeared completely behind the horizon, marking the end of the day.

It was weird to share a moment like this with this particular skeleton and Edge noticed he preferred this from the usual quips they both used to seeth at each other. He could almost say he... _liked it_. It was unexpected and different, that’s for sure, but at the same time interesting. There was a huge difference between this skeleton and his brother, who ran away from serious topics and existential dilemmas. This Sans _didn’t_ and for some reason decided to show this side of him now.

It got colder, a soft wind blowing over the mountaintop dragged the cold from the snowcap down to them, and Edge was the first one to move. He turned his head slightly to check if the other skeleton didn’t start to nap. Sans had his skull already tipped back comfortably but he wasn’t asleep - his white eye lights were currently occupied with the stars that shone above them.

A small smile tugged on Edge’s sharp and usually frowning features. Both small skeletons loved the stars more than the majestic view that was the sun at any hour but he didn’t blame them. Whatever happened in the sky - be it even a thunderstorm - it was a sight to behold. Something they didn’t have until recently and now could admire every time they looked out of the window.

Slowly, Edge stood up. “ **See you at home.** ”, he muttered, not willing to disturb the smaller skeleton. Sans just idly waved at him.

Neither the trip nor the talk actually helped him to clear his head properly but he didn’t mind. At least he felt a little closer to making the decision, no matter what could it ultimately be.

* * *

 The house was filled with the scent of various spices Papyrus and Edge used in their cooking to prepare a big dinner for them all. It made the already pleasant space feel even cozier and inviting, especially with the ornaments they decided to hang around and the Christmas lights strung high on the walls in the living room. A bunch of more or less wrapped presents was already waiting for them on the coffee table, adding to the overall Gyftmas atmosphere.

Doomfanger was walking around the house and playing with the decorations here and there but despite the warnings Edge read on the internet, the cat didn’t seem too eager to do anything _cat_ astrophic. The dog, still bearing a lot of similarities to his owner, spent all the day sleeping under the table - his tail wagged only from time to time and bumped at the table’s leg rhythmically.

The two smaller skeletons were impatiently waiting on the couch to be called for dinner. Since both of the cooks threatened there would be no cookies for them if any dares to set foot in the kitchen, they made sure to keep each other there. It resulted in a short but playful fight that both Edge and Papyrus ignored.

The Gyftmas dinner went smooth and with very little puns or dumb jokes this time. Mostly because both Sanses were too busy eating the meal and eyeing a bowl filled with cookies that awaited for them later. The silence between the bites was filled with a carefree conversation about anything and everything and they never lingered too long on any topic. All of them avoided touching the subject of the trial but at the same time, nobody bothered to talk about their jobs too. It was a time for family and celebration after all.

The small skeletons had enough restraint to wait for their brothers to finish eating before they launched themselves at the cookies. It was both a horrifying and endearing sight and Papyrus had trouble to glare at them with the warm smile that contradicted his demeanor. Edge had to step in and make sure some of the cookies would be left unmangled for later. He _barely_ managed to save half a dozen.

Next in the line of their destruction were the gifts but at least they showed some restraint with those. Everybody had their turn in personally giving the presents and waiting for the reactions. As usual, Edge felt awkward in this situation - it was extremely rare to be gifted anything back in their Underground and he still had to get used to this. At least this time he was prepared for his turn.

Sans was quick to disappear in his room as soon as he unwrapped the gift, only to reappear a few minutes later wearing his new hoodie. His hands were happily stuffed deep into the big pocket in the front and Edge felt warmth fill his soul at this sight. He wondered how long would it take for his brother to figure out the hoodie had another pocket inside the main one. He knew Sans liked to have extra compartments for his shit but there was very little wriggle room to achieve it with a hoodie. Nonetheless, the scarred skeleton was proud of his handiwork - a decent half knitted half sewn piece of green clothing looked good on his brother.

The lazybones was at least slightly amused to receive a big soft pillow shaped like a marshmallow. The amusement was probably caused by the print saying “ _don’t be so mallow dramatic_ ”, something Edge thought would be funny to a skeleton that loves eating almost everything. To Papyrus’ disdain, he named the pillow “Toast” and immediately proceeded to cuddle with it in his bean chair. The moment he started jokingly cooing at the pillow made Edge doubt his choice in gifts.

Papyrus was easily delighted. Edge knew that whatever he would give him, his counterpart would be extremely happy with it and this was the reason he took his time to actually _make_ it. Being especially fond of hand-made items, Papyrus’ eye lights almost sparkled when he unwrapped a recipe book that Edge put together. All the pages were carefully prepared and the blank spaces were filled with comments and suggestions that made the whole thing even more personal. Looking at his counterpart was a little difficult for him now because of the warm glances he received. But it was worth it.

This year he didn’t feel like he didn’t deserve what he got from the other skeletons.

For some reason, the bag of bones thought it was a good idea to give him a romance novel with an autograph and a note from the author. It was a big surprise to Edge - he didn’t know he was this obvious with his reading preferences so the gift made him feel both suspicious and a little touched.

From Papyrus, he got a thicker motorcycle jacket. It seemed much warmer than the one he usually used, so it was perfect for winter. Seemed his counterpart knew his exact thoughts regarding the cold Surface weather and his preferences.

Sans gave him a scarf that was roughly the same size and shape like the one he had in the Underground but it was light gray instead of red. There was a CD case wrapped in it with a sticky note. “ _NOT HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT_ ” scribbled on it was enough for Edge to hide it from the other skeletons. He would make sure to check it later though.

With the presents distributed and the wrappings crumpled into one colorful ball that would fit in the trash can, the smaller skeletons sprawled on their favorite spots in the living room and the TV started to play. Every year, for some unfathomable reason, they insisted on watching a certain movie that for Edge had very little to do with Gyftmas. Not feeling like suffering through another scene containing a child fighting off burglars in their own house, he followed Papyrus to the kitchen.

The tall skeleton put his new recipe book on the shelf filled with cookbooks he used most often and busied himself with putting away the leftovers in the fridge. Edge grabbed one cookie that was left on the plate for both of them and started putting the dishes in the sink - he wasn’t supposed to wash them but it didn’t mean he couldn’t make Sans’ life a little easier.

“ **I...** ”, he began after he was finished with his cookie and could use both of his hands to help. “ **I gave it a thought.** ”, he declared.

“HM?”, Papyrus looked at him over his shoulder. “WHAT DO YOU... _OH_.”

He closed the fridge with a soft thud and turned around to face Edge, all his attention on the scarred face.

“ **Yes, this.** ”, the other skeleton looked away and occupied himself with putting the rest of the glasses in the sink. He felt his counterpart’s eye lights on him but focused on the dishes.

Only when he was done, he turned back to Papyrus and leaned on the counter behind him. “ **A good thought, really. And I came to the conclusion that... this is my world now. All of it. I want it to be as safe as possible. For my brother, for me... for everybody.** ”, he let out a deep sigh after those words. “ **I can’t achieve it by mopping floors, can I now?** ”

The smile on Papyrus’ face got wider with every word spoken. “DOES THIS MEAN... YOU _WILL_ JOIN ME?”

“ **Yes, brother...** ”, Edge managed a tad tense smile. “ **I want to work with you. I’d also like to become your chargé, if possible.** ”

He braced himself for what was going to happen but still wasn’t quite ready for the bone-crushing embrace. Papyrus grabbed him tightly and even lifted him in the air for a moment in a very clear expression of his emotions. Thankfully, it lasted only a second.

“I APOLOGIZE.”, the tall skeleton took a step back, a little embarrassed by this outburst. “I’M JUST _SO HAPPY_ TO HEAR THAT.”

Edge shook his head. He could still feel the remnants of the hug in his bones but decided to ignore it for the time being. “ **I assume this means the position is still open.** ”

“O-OF COURSE! IT IS, YES! I WILL MAKE A CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND-”, he stopped and smiled at him, his voice gentle. “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU GAVE ME TWO GYFTMAS PRESENTS THIS YEAR, EDGE. THAT’S _CHEATING_.”

There was zero amount of chiding in his tone and Edge had to look away, feeling the embarrassment creeping up on his cheekbones.

“ **Ah, come on...** ”, he huffed.

“MAY I...?”, Papyrus motioned with his head at the living room that was currently occupied by the rest of their weird skeletal family. He was almost bouncing with excitement at the kitchen doorstep.

Edge smirked a little, still aware of the magic that was coloring his face. “ **I’m afraid you will explode if I say no... so knock yourself out.** ”

And the tall skeleton was gone. He could still clearly hear him from the kitchen but Edge wasn’t in any rush to join them yet. He took his time to wipe the table and fished his phone out of the pocket. He had sent you photos of his brother in the new hoodie and Sans wrapped around the marshmallow pillow a while ago and wondered whether you had a chance to check your e-mail yet. To his surprise, there was a text message. But not from you.

 **Asshole** : could you come outside for a moment?

The timestamp read it was sent half an hour ago. With a frown, Edge leaned out of the kitchen and looked at the windows in the living room. It was already too dark to see anything more than sparse snowflakes shyly falling from the sky, not to mention the driveway or the street.

He checked the message again, hoping it would reveal some deeper meaning to him, but there was nothing more. His frown deepened as he walked around the couch on his way to the hallway and grabbed his jacket. He was aware the other skeletons noticed his odd behavior but he didn’t look to see how their smiles falter and brow bones quirk in unspoken questions.

“ **I’ll be right back.** ”, he said calmly and left.

It didn’t take long for him to notice a motorcycle parked a little to the side, out of the window view. Right next to it, was a very familiar silhouette, standing in the cold for stars know how long, curled up in the fluffy jacket that seemed a little too narrow for his wide frame. His breath was visible in the crisp air.

“ _ **Damien** **?**_ ”, Edge’s voice couldn’t get more incredulous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since a cliffhanger, right? So! There you have it! :>  
> We can't have Edge bond with everybody except for our main mother hen, can we now?
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> [Thunderstruck Edgelord](https://thunderstruck-edgelord.tumblr.com/) \- tumblr blog for the fic. Skellies and author answer asks and have fun. There's also fanart tag and I strongly encourage you to leave some love to all the people that did something for me!


End file.
